The Smurfs 2
by Black Raider
Summary: This is pretty straightforward; The Smurfs 2 with my OC, Archer! After four years of having visions about Vexy and Hackus, Archer finally gets the chance to meet them when she's smurfnapped along with Smurfette. Papa always says "It doesn't matter where you come from, what matters is who you choose to be." With that in mind, can Archer open her heart and accept these new changes?
1. Chapter 1: Birthday Blues

**Chapter One: Birthday Blues**

_A Smurf-like creature with gray skin and wearing brown burlap pants and Smurf hat. His unruly red hair and goatee looked kind of like dreadlocks. His bright, azure eyes matched the blue freckles that dotted his cheeks. He smiled constantly, like a big, playful puppy dog. A Smurfette-like creature joined him, with that same ashen skin, blue freckles, and sparkling cobalt eyes with a tinge of hazel. She wore a ruffled black skirt, a thick, blue rhinestone belt, black tights, black loafers, and a red/maroon striped tank top. A blue-gray wool Smurf hat rested in her short-cropped black hair, close to the blue streaks in her bangs. The Smurfette-like creature held a green laser pointer and currently held the point towards the floor, encouraging Azrael into chasing the little green dot across the floor._

"_Father's going to love this!" the Smurfette creature laughed._

"_Hackus wanna play!" the Smurf creature pulled the laser pointer from the Smurfette creature. "Let Hackus play with the kitty!"_

_Hackus. The Smurf-like creature's name was Hackus._

"_Cover me!" the Smurfette creature called as she jumped from the railing they stood on. "I'm goin' in!" She landed skillfully on Azrael's head, greeting the cat with a sassy, "Hello kitty." She whooped as she jumped to Azrael's tail, holding on as the cat switched from chasing the green dot to desperately trying to shake the creature off._

"_Yay Vexy!" Hackus cheered._

_Vexy. The Smurfette-like creature's name was Vexy._

_Great. She knew who they were. Now what were they doing with Gargamel?_

_Then, the scene changed. Gargamel stood above Vexy and Hackus, dragon wand in hand, and standing on an elaborate stage._

"_Great Merlin's beard I remember you!" Gargamel suddenly shot a blast of blue electricity towards her and—_

Archer sat up straight with a soft gasp. She breathed a little hard as the dream replayed itself over and over again in her head. She took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

"Mmmm….lassie?" Gutsy moaned as he woke up. "What is it?"

"Nothing, Gutsy darling." Archer assured. "Just go back to sleep."

"Much obliged." Gutsy sighed as he collapsed back onto his pillow. Archer sighed, rubbing the quilt that covered her and Gutsy with her thumb. She glanced at Luna's crib to see the infant hadn't risen yet. Archer carefully slid out of bed and tucked the blanket back around Gutsy. She placed a gentle kiss on his head (earning a smile from him in the process) before tiptoeing to the closet and grabbing a pair of pants and a shirt. She grabbed her bow and quiver on her way downstairs. When she reached the living room, she pulled off her nightgown and pulled on her pants, buckling her quiver to her hip. She tied her cloth shirt around her chest and shouldered her bow. After filling her quiver with a few more arrows, Archer slid out the door and hurried through the village, starting her morning run a little earlier than usual. But halfway through her jog she realized she wasn't in the mood to run, so she scurried up to the top of the bridge to assume her usual post. The sun had barely risen over the horizon just as most of the Smurfs lay asleep in their homes. So Archer let her mind wander back to her dream.

Archer didn't know why her vision from four years ago constantly came back to haunt her. She kept seeing those two creatures: Vexy and Hackus. They looked like Smurfs, only pale grey in color. If they didn't appear with Gargamel in every vision that came to Archer, the Smurfette would've assumed nothing bad about these creatures. She felt like these would be very unique friends to have, but Gargamel's presence made her uneasy. She reminded herself that Gargamel was still stuck in New York City, and therefore not a threat to her or her family. As for these creatures…

Archer looked down and noticed Papa hurrying into Smurfette's house, a worried look on his face. Curious, Archer slid down the ropes of the bridge and quietly sprinted to Smurfette's door. She put an ear to the wood and listened carefully.

"It doesn't matter where you came from." Papa's voice assured. "What matters is who you choose to be."

Archer's hand slowly moved away from the doorknob and she stood up straight. _It's only Smurfette's nightmares again. _Every year, on the eve of Smurfette's birthday, she became plagued with terrible nightmares that usually involved Gargamel. They forced Smurfette into waking up gasping and shaking. Every year, a worried Papa Smurf hurries to Smurfette's mushroom to comfort her when she wakes up the next morning. Sometimes he has to spend the night in the mushroom with her because of her hysterics. Archer talked with Papa numerous times about ways to stop these nightmares, but somehow it didn't seem necessary.

Archer moved to Smurfette's open window and leaned on the windowsill. "Good morning Smurfette!"

Smurfette looked up, and a soft smile masked her worried/upset face. "Hey Archer."

"Aren't we up a little early?" Papa noted.

"Couldn't sleep, I guess." Archer shrugged. "Thought I'd start my patrol early or go on a walk in the forest."

"I see." Papa nodded. "Well, make sure you're home in time for dinner tonight."

_Right, dinner. And Smurfette's birthday party! _Archer nodded. "Sure thing, Papa. Oh, and happy birthday Smurfette!" She walked off, skipping a little as she noticed Chef and Baker already awake. Sweet scents wafted from their kitchens, indicating the two cooks already got a head start on making the food for Smurfette's party. As Archer continued her walk, she noticed more and more Smurfs had woken up since she began her patrol. She approached a couple Smurfs making a Gargamel piñata. "Hey guys!"

"Greetings, Archer Smurf!" Poet greeted warmly.

"Hiya Archer." Grouchy nodded.

"Hey Archer!" Passive-Aggressive Smurf waved.

"Aren't you all getting ready for the party kind of early?" Archer asked. "I admire your handiwork with the piñata, but if you get ready too early, Smurfette will notice."

"Oh, we'll be fine." Grouchy assured.

"Besides, if we don't smurf this now, I'll never be able to create my 'Ode to a Gargamel Piñata' by the time the party starts!" Poet cleared his throat. "'Oh Gargamel Piñata, so large and full of candy/ Soon Gutsy will hit you with a stick, and it will be quite a dandy!'"

"Smurfy, Poet." Archer nodded. "Very smurfy."

"Yeah, real nice." Passive-Aggressive snorted. "As Painter says, a real 'masterpeizza'."

"I'll say." Gutsy laughed as he approached, a good-sized stick in hand and resting on his shoulder. "I can't wait ta smurf dis one!"

"Where's Luna?" Archer asked.

"Still sleepin'." Gutsy said. "I put Lazy in charge of her until she wakes up."

"You put a narcoleptic in charge of our child?" Archer raised an eyebrow.

"Figures." Poet rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess that's the beauty of having so many brothers."

"Yeah." Grouchy huffed. "So you can dump your kid on us."

"You love her and you know it." Passive-Aggressive laughed.

Archer chuckled. "Well, just to make sure you guys don't spoil the 'surprise' part of the surprise party, I'm going to find Smurfette and we'll go smurf a picnic in the forest. That should give you plenty of time to get ready."

"That sounds great." Passive-Aggressive snickered as Archer moved off. "I think smurfing Smurfette and you in the forest by yourselves is a _really _great choice. Good luck with that."

"Passive-Aggressive, I will put an arrow in your tail if you don't smurf your face!" Archer snapped, instantly silencing Passive-Aggressive Smurf.

Archer walked through the village, looking around as the Smurfs continued to set up for the party. Party Planner directed the Smurfs in everything that needed to be done, Social Smurf close by his side. Chef snapped at Greedy for smurfing a bite of Smurfette's birthday cake. Archer chuckled when she saw a surprise envelope from Jokey explode in Brainy's face. She greeted the other Smurfs, careful to stay out of the way when a couple of them came by with the large birthday cake.

"She's coming! Smurfette's coming!" Panicky screamed, zipping past Archer so fast he nearly ran into her. Archer held her hat on her head, as though afraid the gust of wind that followed Panicky would knock it off.

"The surprise will be ruined!" Brainy panicked. "Hide everything!"

"Code Blue!" Hefty called. "Code Blue! Repeat! This is not a drill!"

Archer, not wanting to be caught up in the confusion, only scurried up a latter and sat at the top rung, watching the Smurfs scramble about to hide the party stuff just as Smurfette showed up. Archer had to smirk, wondering how the Smurfs managed to hide the party preparations so well.

"Hey guys!" Smurfette greeted. "Anyone want to do anything fun on this special day?" But the Smurfs tried to look busy and distracted, to prevent Smurfette from finding out the surprise. A couple Smurfs still hadn't hidden all the decorations. Smurfette saw Vanity and jogged up to him. "Oh, hey Vanity. Want to sit by the fountain and look at your reflection?"

"Kind of tired of looking at myself, Smurfette." Vanity said, tucking his mirror in his hat. He chuckled and muttered, "As if."

Smurfette looked disappointed, but brightened up a little when she saw Party Planner and Social Smurf. "Hey Party Planner. Hey Social Smurf."

Party Planner carefully hid his clipboard from Smurfette, but also put on a smile. "Yes, darling?"

"Anything fun coming up that I should know about?" Smurfette asked, a somewhat worried look on her face.

Party Planner scribbled something down and handed the paper to Social. "Nope. Nothing until Smurfapalooza. It's going to be wild. Right, Social Smurf?"

"Oh yeah!" Social agreed. "I've got it all over the smurf web. It's got 101 likes on Smurfbook."

"I'll be sure to put you on the guest list!" Party Planner called to Smurfette as he and Social moved on.

Smurfette stared sadly after them. "So….no one remembered my birthday?"

_Oh Smurfette. It's not like that. _Archer jumped down the ladder just as Panicky ran inside the mushroom she stood next to, startling everysmurf inside as they hid the decorations. Archer giggled when Painter suddenly fell from the ladder he stood on and landed right on Gutsy. Clumsy hurriedly shut the doors and windows, chuckling nervously.

"Y'know, Smurfette." Farmer said as he approached the blonde-haired Smurfette. "Occasionally it's good ta 'ave a lil'….alone time."

"Yeah, so take a hike." Grouchy almost snapped, earning him a smack on the head from Archer.

"Yeah, we don't need you here." Brainy said dismissively. "We're good." Archer stared after her sister worriedly, wanting to say something that wouldn't make the situation worse. But Smurfette already walked off, looking upset.

Handy sighed, then laughed. "We fooled her pretty good, don't you think, Clueless Smurf?"

"Yeah!" Clueless laughed. "She's got no idea about the surprise party!" He hardly finished when about five Smurfs tackled him.

Handy stared. "Dude!"

"Guys, did Smurfette look…down in the smurf to you?" Archer asked.

"She'll be smurfier when the party rolls around." Brainy assured, his hand over Clueless Smurf's mouth.

Archer pursed her lips, taking Brainy's fallen glasses and setting them back in their proper place. "I'm not so sure. I think you guys were a little too harsh when trying to hide the surprise party."

"We didn't mean anything by it." Handy said sheepishly.

Archer sighed. "I know. And I'm sure the party will be great. You guys just smurf back to work; I'll watch over Smurfette." She bid them farewell and hurried off, hoping to catch up with Smurfette before she strayed too far away.

* * *

"_Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Blue. Happy birthday to you!"_

"Okay, blow out the candles, Blue!" Patrick said. He smiled as his four-year-old son stood from his spot and blew out the candles on his Smurf house cake. Everyone clapped while little Blue just smiled away. "Okay, I think I've got everyone's issues covered." Patrick announced. "This is an organic, gluten-free, antioxidant rich acai berry cake made locally by a cruelty-free baker who swears he's never even seen a peanut. Everybody good, right?"

Grace walked into the kitchen just as one of the parents asked if the plates were PCB free and grabbed the box. _Wow. Patrick really went out of his way for this. _Grace thought as she cut Blue's cake. _I knew he'd be a good father; Papa Smurf certainly thought so. _Grace sighed softly, fondly remembering their little blue friends that inspired their son's name. Grace always thought the Smurfs would return someday, but that was four years ago. She certainly missed them. All of Blue's Smurf-related toys brought back fond memories.

"You must've had a great role model." One of the mom's commented to Patrick.

Patrick's face fell a little. "Um…no, not really. My dad took off when I was five, so….." If he could, Patrick would give Papa Smurf all the credit for his parenting skills. But he figured everyone would think him crazy if he told them he was inspired by a little blue Santa Claus.

"Am I late?"

Grace and Blue and most of the guests whipped around to the door to see a familiar Irish man with reddish-blonde hair, a red polo shirt, and white dress pants and jacket. "Did I miss all the presents?" the man chuckled, pulling in a red wagon with a tall stack of presents on top.

"Grandpa Vicstor!" Blue cheered, running into his grandfather's arms. Victor laughed as he pulled Blue into a hug, kissing his grandson's cheek. "Happy birthday, Blue. Now it's a party." He turned, with Blue still in his arms, and smiled warmly. "Hello! I'm Victor, Patrick's dad. And you must be all his friends." He carefully set Blue on the ground. "Which makes you _my _friends! So, let's go! Arms in the air! You're all getting hugs!"

"Okay….." one of the dads turned to Patrick. "I thought you said your father left you."

"He did." Patrick droned. "This is my stepfather. You'll want him to leave, just wait."

"Where is my Gracie?" Victor laughed, hugging his daughter-in-law tightly. Grace gladly returned the hug, legitimately happy to see Victor. She could never understand why Patrick didn't like his stepfather. "How are ye?" Victor smiled. "You know ever since Blue was born I've kind of missed you being as big as a house! With more of you to hug!" Oh yeah. He tended to not think before speaking. Victor turned to Patrick, who immediately took a step back. "And now, I've saved the biggest hug for last."

"Boundaries." Patrick pleaded, stepping back. But Victor caught up to him and pulled him into a spine-breaking hug, bouncing the poor man as though he were a child. The parents in the room had to chuckle a little. Patrick, on the other hand, groaned exasperatedly. "I—don't—like—this—at—all."

"There's nothing like the embrace of two proud Doyle men." Victor chuckled as he set Patrick down.

"I am not a Doyle man." Patrick groaned.

"Little putty Doyle." Victor laughed.

"_Winslow_." Patrick insisted.

"Okay, we'll compromise: Winslow…" Victor turned to Grace. "Hyphen Doyle."

Patrick inwardly groaned. _Where's Archer and her arrows when you need them?_

* * *

Vexy held her stomach, feeling that familiar knot that always formed every single evening. Hackus looked more cross-eyed than normal, swaying a bit. Vexy leaned on a stack of books, suddenly feeling like her legs were jelly.

"Azrael, bring me my plan." Gargamel ordered.

"Father…." Vexy called softly.

"It's in the bathroom." Gargamel said. "Check my side of the sink."

"Father!" Vexy called with a little more urgency. "It's feeding time."

"Hackus dizzy." Hackus groaned, falling backwards and onto a bell.

"Oh, yes." Gargamel groaned. "I almost forgot; apparently I have to keep you alive. I hope you both appreciate what a _tremendous _burden this is upon me!"

_It's not like you mention it every single day. _Vexy thought bitterly, but kept her thoughts to herself.

Gargamel pulled from his collar the very thing that held all the essence he currently owned: a dragon shaped, glass container with a pipet. Gargamel pulled out the pipet with some Smurf essence inside and approached his Naughties. "All right, mind your manners."

"Thank you." Vexy said gratefully, opening her mouth to swallow the drop of sparkling blue essence that kept her alive. She couldn't really describe the taste, but at least it didn't taste bad. And when it reached her stomach, a warm feeling spread across her body, giving her energy and making her feel all the more livelier.

Gargamel sighed. "If you were _real _Smurfs I'd be taking essence from _you._" He dropped essence into Hackus's mouth and stowed the rest away under his collar. "I didn't hear a 'thank you'." He told Hackus. The Naughty's response was to burp with a smile on his face. Gargamel rolled his eyes. "Close enough. Come! We must review my plan before tonight's raid on Smurf Village!" He hurried to his throne-like chair, his Naughties and cat following. Vexy took her spot on some books and absent-mindedly listened to Gargamel talk. She didn't really pay much attention; after all, she used to listen to her father talk about his plan every night. She'd grown accustomed to it by now. Just like she was used to his verbal and sometimes physical abuse. Still, she was able to put a crafty smirk on her face every day and move on with her life, trying to find a way to get some enjoyment out of being the daughter of the great wizard Gargamel.

"I turn you and hundreds other like you blue." Gargamel's voice snapped Vexy out of her thoughts. She stood up to look at Gargamel's plan.

"Hackus blue!" Hackus cheered, clapping. "Hackus blue!"

Gargamel swiped to the next phase. "I put you into a terrifying machine and extract your essence!" Vexy gasped softly, a little off-put by that part of the plan. But Gargamel continued, "And then, the entire world shall bow before me!" He laughed evilly.

"Um….." Vexy piped up. "Will that extracting thing hurt?"

"Oh, it's excruciating…ly painless." Gargamel said. "You'll see it'll be fun." He muttered, "For me."

Vexy watched as Gargamel moved to the window, blabbering on about coming to "this trees infested metropolis" for the "great iron spire". She looked to Hackus worriedly. Even though Hackus wasn't the smartest Naughty (or Smurf) in the world, he could understand the fear in his sister's eyes. He stared after his father, trying to figure out just _why _his sister looked so upset. He didn't like seeing Vexy upset. It made him so sad to not see her smile. Hackus would do anything to keep that smile on Vexy's face; so he went along with her plans because he loved seeing how proud she looked.

"Come!" Gargamel's voice made Hackus jump. "Come! Let us away! To the iron spire!"

Vexy, Hackus, and Azrael followed Gargamel to the great iron spire, known locally in Paris as the Eiffel Tower. Gargamel had his children and cat wait at a fountain nearby while he climbed all the way to the very top of the spire. They watched, mesmerized, as a blue bolt of lightning erupted from the top of the spire, its source being Gargamel's wand. A great, blue and black cloud storm cloud formed above the tower, with booming thunder and crackling lightning. Suddenly, a large lightning bolt hit the tower, and the power moved through the tower to a machine Gargamel built. The machine launched a blast straight for the fountain, forcing Hackus to dive aside and take Vexy with him. They stared in awe as the waters swirled, forming a portal about the size of a volleyball.

"It worked!" Vexy cheered. Hackus whopped and laughed. Even Azrael was amazed that Gargamel's spell worked perfectly. They all jumped a little when Gargamel himself swooped in, using a cape to glide like a flying squirrel.

"Now I shall prove my genius!" Gargamel announced as he dove headfirst into the portal…and stuck there. He spun around like crazy until the portal spit him out again. Hackus, Vexy, and Azrael laughed at their master's misfortune.

"Head spin!" Hackus laughed.

Gargamel groaned as he pushed himself to his feet, still knee-deep in the fountain water. "It appears I lacked sufficient essence to create a human-sized portal." He wanted to shout and curse. _Now _how was he going to get Smurfette?

Immediately, Vexy saw the ultimate chance to prove herself. "Father, I can fit through there! Let_ me _get Smurfette!"

"Oh, Hackus go!" Hackus raised his hand and jumped around, knocking Vexy over in the process. "Hackus go! Hackus go!"

"Yes." Gargamel mused. Though his Naughties were "deeply disappointing experiments", surely he could trust one of them to retrieve his ungrateful daughter from Smurf Village. "Yes, well let's see." He pointed to his Naughties, back and forth, chanting, "Eeney, meeny, miney….."

"Pick me!" Hackus called cheerfully. "Pick me!"

"Moron." Gargamel groaned.

"Yes!" Hackus cheered.

Vexy stared at her brother. While she looked annoyed on the outside, inside she was worried. She knew Hackus wouldn't be able to do it; he would get distracted or he would get hurt, maybe even killed. She appreciated that Hackus wanted to help, but Vexy just couldn't let him go. "Hey, Hackus." She called with a smirk. "Listen to this." She put her hand up.

"Oh!" Hackus leaned in. "What?"

"Ah!" Vexy bonked Hackus on the nose, causing him to fall backwards and off the stone railing, splashing into the waters below. "I win." Vexy smiled.

"Nicely played, Vexy." Gargamel said, putting his palm out for Vexy to climb on. Vexy hurriedly jumped aboard as Gargamel explained some very important things. "Now, I must warn you. Your destination is a true horror. A realm filled with the relentless crushing quiet of peace punctuated by the wretched cacophony of joyousness! It's horrible!"

"What a nightmare." Vexy sighed.

"Yes, yes." Gargamel sighed. "It completely ruined your sister."

"It's such a shame when a bad girl turns good." Vexy smirked.

"Indeed." Gargamel nodded. "And there is one more thing to watch out for: a Smurfette by the name of Archer. She serves as the guardian of the Smurf village, practically second-in-command to Papa Smurf. If she captures you, she'll fire so many arrows into you that you'll be pulling them out of your back for a week!"

"Yikes." Vexy gulped a little. "But I'm not afraid!" Secretly, that was a lie. Gargamel told Vexy all about Archer in the past, and she was terrified. After all, a Smurf-sized arrow into a human would feel like a pin; that kind of wound would go away in a week at the most. A Smurf-sized arrow to a Smurf-sized Naughty could potentially kill Vexy. But, desperate to please her father, Vexy hid her fear.

"That's good." Gargamel said. "Because Smurfette is in that village that Archer protects. And she knows the secret formula. So….." he suddenly dropped Vexy into the portal. "Go get Smurfette!"

Vexy saluted to her father, allowing the portal to pull her towards Smurf Village.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I promised this a long time ago but never got around to it. Plus I was struck my inspiration for another story and had to work on it. This story pretty much completed, so I should be able quickly. But I'm super busy at home so bear with me. Thanks guys!**

**As usual, per the disclaimer, I do not own Smurfs 2. Only my OCs.**


	2. Chapter 2: New Faces, Old Enemies

**Chapter Two – New Faces, Old Enemies**

"I just don't get it. They know how tough my birthday can be." Smurfette sighed. "And they didn't even remember."

"I'm sure it's something more than that." Archer comforted. "You know how boys are; and we live with 99 of them."

Smurfette looked unsure. "Maybe Papa was wrong." She knelt beside a pool of water, staring at her reflection. "I guess I'll never really be one of them." She stared at her reflection in the water and, before her very eyes, her reflection's skin paled and hair turned black.

Archer stared into the water at Smurfette's reflection. Whereas Smurfette saw a gray-skinned, black-haired creation of Gargamel's, Archer saw the blue-skinned, blonde-haired Smurf she knew and loved. Archer knelt down beside Smurfette and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Smurfette, you are just as much a Smurf as I am or as any other Smurf in the village. You're True Blue, just like me." Archer assured, hugging Smurfette. "I love you; you're my sister." She smiled warmly. "Why don't you help me smurfsit Luna today? Spend some girl time with us since we're kind of the only girls in the village anymore."

"If you don't mind," Smurfette said sadly. "I would like to be alone for a while."

Archer sighed. "Okay. Okay, I'll leave you alone. But I know little Luna would love to hang out with you." She waited for Smurfette to respond, but upon receiving nothing Archer simply stood and walked off, fingering her bow slung over her shoulder. She readjusted the string so it fit comfortably and diagonally across her chest, sighing. She wanted to say something, anything that would cheer Smurfette up. But nothing came to mind. She only hoped that Smurfette's birthday party would be a blast.

But, if she thought everysmurf forgot her birthday…would she stick around long enough?

"AAAAAHHHHH! Help! Archer! Smurfs! Somebody help me!"

Archer gasped and spun around to see Smurfette being dragged away by a strange figure, pulling her towards a scarily familiar looking portal."Smurfette!" Archer shouted, running towards her sister as she fought to get free of the creature. "Hang on, Smurfette, I'm coming!" She heard Clumsy and the other Smurfs shouting behind her, but she paid them no mind, even when Gutsy shouted, "Archer, me lass!" Archer made it back to the water just as the creature threw Smurfette into the portal in the small waterfall. Archer leaped forward and tackled the creature, pinning her to the rock she stood on. "Hey! You leave my sister alone you—" Archer's eyes widened when they fell upon…. a Smurfette-like creature with gray skin and black hair with a couple blue streaks. "No….." She breathed. _My vision…from nearly four years ago…..it's coming true!_

Vexy suddenly grabbed Archer's arms, shocking the Smurfette out of her trance. "Let go of me!" But Vexy suddenly kicked her foot up into Archer's stomach. Archer shouted and screamed a little as she flew headfirst into the portal, desperate to stop her speedy travel.

"Gutsy!" Archer yelled.

"Smurfette!" Clumsy screamed.

"Archer!" Gutsy shouted. "No!"

"They're being Smurfnapped!" Handy cried.

"Unhand them!" Vanity ordered.

Vexy turned as some of the Smurfs came running to help their kin. "So long, Smurrrrfs!" She laughed before leaping into the portal. Gutsy ran as fast as he could, ahead of the other Smurfs, but the portal closed before he could jump through to rescue his sister and mate.

"Smurfette!" Grouchy called.

"Smurfette!" Gutsy shouted. "Archer!"

"What're we going to do now?!" Handy groaned.

"My powers of deduction lead me to believe that this is the work of Gargamel!" Brainy declared.

Gutsy's eyes narrowed. "Gargamel….." He turned and ran back towards the village. "C'mon! We gotta tell Papa!"

* * *

Smurfette screamed as she flew through the portal, out the other side, and fell straight towards a snarling, clawing Azrael. Smurfette would've become Azrael's midnight snack had a hand not grabbed her first.

Smurfette stared at the man who caught her. "Gargamel….."

"Ah, Smurfette." Gargamel smiled sinisterly. "Welcome home." He laughed evilly.

Smurfette struggled, trying to wiggle free from Gargamel's tight grasp. "No…."

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Gargamel jumped when Archer suddenly shot out of the portal, followed closely by Vexy. "Yes!" Vexy cheered, landing softly on her feet. "Haha!"

"Pretty blue!" Hackus swooned.

"Somebody catch me!" Archer screamed.

"I got her!" Hackus shouted, raising his arms. "I got her! I—" He and Archer grunted as the latter smashed into him. "She got me…."

"Oh my smurf!" Archer stood up hurriedly and helped Hackus to his feet. "I am so sorry! I—" She stared at the second gray-skinned Smurf from her visions. "Hackus?"

"Pretty lady know my name!" Hackus clapped.

Archer turned to Hackus's sister. "And…..Vexy?"

"You know our names?" Vexy cocked her head.

"I should've expected this." Gargamel sighed.

"Archer!" Smurfette shouted. "Run!"

Archer turned and finally noticed Gargamel with Smurfette in his fist. She immediately drew an arrow and aimed it for Gargamel. "Put my sister down now!"

"You fire and you hit her." Gargamel said, putting Smurfette in the line of fire. Archer tried to move her aim, but Gargamel forced Smurfette into every direction. Vexy stared in disbelief. _This _was Archer Smurf? _This _was the girl her father was so afraid of? Vexy expected someone with a bow and arrows, yes, but she pictured Archer in flowing black robes or some other sinister-like clothing, with long black hair and icy blue eyes. Instead, she found just a regular Smurfette, with long, braided brown hair that touch the ground and wearing only a pair of white trousers without the feet and a strapless shirt that stopped at midriff. Her eyes weren't icy at all; in fact, they were a warm indigo color, with a beautiful tinge of silver. Even that tattoo on her arm didn't look menacing; of course, what's so menacing about a flower? Her darling freckles looked like Vexy's. If Archer didn't look like a mama bear protecting her cub at the moment, Vexy would've assumed that Archer was a kind, gentle character.

"Just let her go!" Archer ordered.

"I will." Gargamel nodded. "All in good time. Now come quietly or she dies."

Archer growled like a lion, her indigo-silver eyes filled with fury. But, realizing nothing could be done, she lowered her bow and sheathed her arrow. She let Vexy snatch her bow and Hackus grab her arms.

"Come, my children." Gargamel ordered, stepping from the fountain. "We're off!"

Archer pulled herself from Hackus's grip, but did nothing when the two Naughties flanked her like guards. She looked back and noticed the portal closed. _Now what do we do? _She sighed. _Papa….please come quickly._

* * *

"You're wasting your time, Gargamel." Smurfette snapped, arms crossed. Archer stood close by her, her bow in a tight grip and her other hand close to her quiver. "Papa and the others are gonna come for me!" Smurfette insisted.

"Oh, I don't think so." Gargamel shook his head.

"They came for Clumsy!" Smurfette reminded him.

"Yes." Gargamel nodded. "But, you see, Clumsy was a real Smurf."

Smurfette's face fell slightly. Archer stepped up with a glare. "Smurfette is just as much a Smurf as I am. Papa will come for both of us. For your sake, better hope he comes before I shoot you."

"Ah, Archer." Gargamel sighed. "I almost missed that temper of yours." Archer responded with an animal-like snarl. "You must remember, little Archer, that you came to the village by a stork. Whereas _I _was the one that created Smurfette." Gargamel said. He looked to the blonde-haired Smurfette. "You _do _remember that, don't you dear?"

Smurfette's glare returned. "You're not my father! Just let us go home!"

"Of course." Gargamel nodded. "Anything you say. But first, I will need one itsy bitsy, teeny tiny little thing."

"Teeny tiny." Hackus echoed with a laugh.

Smurfette put her hands on her hips, glaring. "What?"

"Just the secret formula that Papa used to turn you into a real Smurf." Gargamel said simply.

"Hackus real Smurf!" Hackus cheered. "Hackus blue!"

"Like you, Blondie." Vexy added.

Archer stood closer to Smurfette. She didn't know how to react to these Naughties, but she reserved the hostility for if/when they attacked first. For now, she remained close to Smurfette to protect her. "What would you want the formula for?"

"Simple." Gargamel said, mostly to Smurfette. "It would benefit us all, you see my dear? You give me the formula, I turn my little Naughties blue….."

"Blue!" Hackus giggled.

"I use their essence to continue with my wonderful magic show here." Gargamel finished. "That way I never have to bother you or Smurf Village again." If Archer didn't know any better, she'd say Gargamel looked quite in pain from the smiling.

"I don't trust you." Smurfette growled. "And I'm not telling you anything."

"Well, perhaps you need a little persuasion." Gargamel suggested sinisterly. "Naughties, attack!"

"With pleasure." Vexy nodded. Smurfette and Archer turned to Vexy and Hackus, both preparing to fight. Archer drew back an arrow…..

"Attack!" Hackus cheered, jumping onto Vexy's shoulders.

"Not each other!" Gargamel groaned.

Archer lowered her bow. She and Smurfette watched, giggling, as Hackus and Vexy tackled it out before Vexy ended up on Hackus's back. Hackus charged like a horse, calling "Kitty!" and pulling Azrael's whiskers.

"Huh." Archer scoffed. "They're almost cute."

* * *

Everysmurf in the village ran for Papa's lab, many of them trying to crowd inside while giving Papa room to work and speak. The other Smurfs stood outside, listening to Papa talk. The second the elder Smurf heard the news, he looked horrified. But he kept a strong composure as he went to work, finding a solution to the problem.

"We've got ta rescue Smurfette and Archer!" Gutsy urged.

"What's our plan to bring the girls home?" Brainy asked worriedly.

"Shouldn't we just leave the rescuing to Archer since she smurfed with her?" Grouchy grumbled, but even he looked worried.

"Okay, Smurfs, listen up!" Papa called, silencing his Smurfs. "I saved enough grotto water from the last Blue Moon for just such an occasion." He mixed a few ingredients in his cauldron and lifted a wire basket form the mixture, revealing a handful of beautiful, purple-blue, sparkling crystals. "I was able to smurf it into smurfportation crystals."

"Oh, so you don't need a portal!" Brainy realized. "Very clever, Papa."

"Smurfxactly." Papa nodded, holding the crystals for everysmurf to see. "These will take us directly to Master Winslow's mushroom."

"Yeah!" Clumsy called enthusiastically. "Patrick and Grace helped us last time we smurfed through the portal!"

"Precisely!" Brainy said. "They'll know what to do!" Suddenly, everysmurf spoke at once, volunteering to go with Papa and rescue their beloved sisters. Vanity seemed to be the only one that didn't want to go, giving the excuse that he would look after Luna while they were all away. The little baby currently rested in his arms, watching in awe despite not knowing what was going on. While Papa was touched by the Smurfs' care and he knew each Smurf had a skill set that could come in handy, but there was one minor problem.

"Now, now, Smurfs." Papa quieted his children. "I only had water enough for ten crystals. That's me and three others round trip. Plus, Smurfette and Archer on the way home."

"Assuming you can find them." Grouchy said. "Which you won't."

"Ah, that's not a very smurfy attitude, Grouchy." Clumsy said, waving an arm. He only succeeded in knocking some glass jars to the ground, and he scrambled to pick them up, diving to the floor. Many of the Smurfs winced, some of them concerned Clumsy would cut himself.

"Actually, for me, that was pretty good." Grouchy corrected.

Papa thought for a brief moment before three Smurfs in particular popped up in his mind. He turned to said Smurfs. "I'll need courage, intelligence, and strength. So, Gutsy…"

"Aye." Gutsy nodded, puffing his chest out a little.

"Brainy…."

"Of course." Brainy straightened out his glasses with a smile.

"Hefty…."

"You got it." Hefty smirked, arms crossed.

"You'll smurf with me." Papa said. He knew at once this was the right decision. More than that, he knew Gutsy would insist on going with him whether he liked it or not. This was Archer they were talking about; if Gutsy didn't go, he might have a nervous breakdown before they could return. It was Gutsy's only weakness: the possibility of Archer getting hurt.

"Yeah, um, may I…?" a Smurf piped up.

Papa rolled his eyes. "Yes, Passive-Aggressive Smurf?" _Here it comes._

"I think Brainy is a _really _excellent choice." Passive-Aggressive snickered. "Good luck with that."

"You see what he does?" Brainy groaned, despite many of the Smurfs' chuckles. "That's not a compliment."

"Go figure." Hefty shrugged. He was used to it by now. All he wanted was to bring his sisters home safe and sound.

"Okay, Hefty, take one." Papa said, holding out three of the crystals.

"Let's do this." Hefty said, punching his palm with determination. He, Gutsy, and Brainy were going with Papa to get Archer and Smurfette. Sure, Brainy would need a kick in the pants now and then, but that wouldn't stop them. Even Gargamel was no match for—

"Go get 'em, guys!" Clumsy cheered as he stood up hurriedly. In the process, he managed to bump into Papa, who accidently tossed the three crystals into Hefty's mouth. Startled, Hefty jumped, and the rocks found their way to his throat. Everysmurf groaned at Clumsy's actions when they noticed Hefty's eyes go wide and he started pounding on his chest. He clutched his throat, pointing to his mouth. He was choking!

"Stand back!" Gutsy said, running up to his brother. "I know the Smurflich Maneuver!" He wrapped his arms around Hefty from behind, grabbing his fist and pulling it towards him. Hefty made a little squeaking sound, but the crystals didn't come out.

"He's doesn't look good!" Farmer groaned.

"He's turning blue…er…." Vanity added.

"Not good." Grouchy sighed.

Amongst the chaos, Gutsy gave one final pull, and the force of the maneuver caused the three sparkling crystals to fly from Hefty's mouth. Everysmurf watched as Grouchy commented, "Nice going, Clumsy." and opened his mouth enough for one of the crystals to fly in and go down his esophagus. Clumsy reached for the other two crystals, but by some strange form of luck, they bounced off his fingers and into his and Vanity's mouths. They both swallowed involuntarily, and the crystals were gone. Papa stared, inwardly groaning, and Gutsy dropped Hefty out of surprise.

"This was supposed to be Hefty!" Grouchy groaned. But his voice echoed off when his body dissolved into a swirling blue comet and took off, disappearing.

"Sorry, my bad!" Clumsy said as his form did the same.

"Ugh, I get so puffy when I travel." Vanity sighed, stuffing his mirror into his hat. He didn't realize he still held Luna until the last second. When his comet form took off, Farmer dived to the ground and caught the baby before she could hit the floor. But Luna only clapped and giggled.

Papa sighed. _Oh well. At least I won't be lonely on this trip. _He took his crystal and wrapped the remaining crystals in a cloth, stuffing them in the bag he draped over his shoulder. "Well, sometimes you gotta smurf with the changes." He shrugged.

Gutsy stopped Papa hurriedly. "Um, Papa? I don' suppose…..you have maybe one more of dose crystals? Ye know…so maybe I….."

"I'm sorry, Gutsy." Papa shook his head. "I only have enough for the round trip plus Archer and Smurfette." Gutsy looked down, mainly staring at Luna in Farmer's arms. Papa put a comforting hand on Gutsy's shoulder. "Gutsy, I promise I'll bring her home. Everything will be fine as long as I have anything to smurf about it."

Gutsy continued to stare at Luna, even as Farmer handed her to him. He rubbed Luna's head affectionately. "Ye know how I feel about dis. I thought we were done with it."

Papa sighed, but smiled. "I know, Gutsy. I promise; when I return, Archer will be by my side." He took a few steps back and sighed. "Well, smurf us luck!" He popped the crystal in his mouth and swallowed. His form dissolved into a blue comet and whizzed off, up the chimney and into the sky.

"Travel safe, Papa." Gutsy said.

Narrator and the Smurfs outside watched as Papa's comet took off. _"And so Papa and his B Team….."_

"I'll be in charge while you're gone!" Brainy called.

"_And so Papa—"_

"Go get Smurfette and Archer back!" Farmer shouted.

"Oh come on!" Narrator complained.

"Bring them home!" Gutsy called just as Papa disappeared. He stared after his father, worriedly, as he held Luna closer to his chest.

"Gutsy, it'll be fine." Hefty assured. "This is Archer we're talking about. She's true to her word; and you two promised that Luna wouldn't grow up without both her parents."

Gutsy sighed. "I know. I…I jus' worry about her…"

Brainy fiddled with his clipboard. "I'm sure Luna will—"

"It's not Luna I'm worried about." Gutsy admitted. "It's Archer. We all know how she smurfs herself in ta trouble all de time." He sighed. "I don' want her ta get killed because of it. I thought she smurfed over dis when Luna was smurfnapped."

Everysmurf in the room exchanged worried looks. They knew Archer got into trouble an awful lot, even after the incident with Balthazar kidnapping Luna. It wasn't her fault….at least they didn't think so. It just concerned Gutsy greatly whenever Archer was put in situations like this. It concerned _everysmurf_ when Archer was put in situations like this.

Painter put on a brave face. "Come on. It iz late, and we should smurf off to bed. Papa will come home with Archair and Smurfette soon enough."

"Yeah, and Smurfette's party will be waiting for her!" Handy urged. The Smurfs nodded, putting on smiles as they moved off to their respective mushroom houses. But, even with Luna in his arms, Gutsy felt alone in his mushroom bungalow. He set Luna in her crib and softly sang her to sleep, his thoughts wandering.

_Be safe, lass. _He prayed.

* * *

"Well, I'm glad his throat opened up." Patrick said gratefully. "And his lips are back to normal." He cast Victor a glare at the second part. "Again, we're so sorry. If there…hello?" He sighed as he hung up the phone. "Johnny can breathe again." He announced as he walked to the kitchen. "Which makes two of us since both his parents are lawyers."

"Well, that's why they overreacted." Victor said.

Patrick spun around with a glare. "They didn't overreact!"

"He's dying!" Victor gasped, making his corndog puppet squeak. He made the puppet fall over "dead." "I think it's time for this." He pulled out another surprise: a paper king's crown.

Patrick groaned. "You didn't bring the crown." He groaned again when Victor pulled out another crown for Blue. "Don't put the crown on him."

"Come on, you used to love this crown." Victor insisted.

"No I didn't." Patrick countered.

"Yes, you did you wore it everywhere." Victor smiled.

"I did not." Patrick shook his head. "Never did. Never once." He turned and joined Grace in the kitchen when his son and Victor began blowing raspberries. "Do you see what is going on out there?"

Grace took a look. "Yeah, they're bonding." She laughed.

"Technically, they're spitting." Patrick corrected.

Grace still smiled. "Oh come on. Blue needs to know that family is not just you and me and it's really good to play with his grandfather." She moved off to continued cleaning up.

Patrick followed sitting down at the island. "Oh yeah. He's a terrific role model."

"Come on, Patrick." Grace sighed as she stacked used cups for the garbage.

"Grace, he ruins everything." Patrick told her. "He shows up and he ruins things. That what he does. Just like when he first moved into my house and sent my parrot away."

Grace gave him a look. "Your parrot?"

"My _father's _parrot." Patrick corrected, his heart aching a little. "When my dad took off he left Zeus and…I loved that bird. I…I was a kid and Zeus was the only part of my dad I had left."

Grace came up and put an arm around Patrick's shoulders, starting to get a sense of how much pain Patrick must've felt when his father left, and at such a young age at that. Grace never knew that pain; her parents loved each other and her very much. Perhaps it really was hard for a 5-year-old Patrick Winslow to truly accept a new man in his life; someone new to look up to. Then again, Patrick never did look up to Victor. In fact, he scorned him. Patrick never really looked up to anybody.

_Until Papa and the Smurfs came along. _Patrick mentally noted. _What am I complaining about with just one kid? He's got over a hundred. _If Patrick were in that position, he'd go crazy.

Blue laughed loudly, truly enjoying his play time with his grandpa. He continued to smile and laugh until he noticed a strong breeze in the air and a blue light coming from the corner. More blue lights appeared, and the air seemed to swirl and ripple. The table and chairs began floating, much to Blue's wonder.

"Blue!" Grace called. Suddenly, the table went flying, and it forced the doors to the kitchen to slam shut. The table stuck there, keeping the door shut, and a bookshelf fell over to prevent Patrick from opening the other door. But Blue wasn't afraid; he laughed and stared in awe as Victor scooped him up into the safety of his arms. Victor and Blue stared as the swirling lights revealed a swirling, water-like portal….that shot something almost straight at them! Victor moved aside as the…..whatever-it-was….flew out and crashed into the wagon of gifts, knocking it to the ground.

"Whoa!" Blue gasped.

"Stay there." Victor said, setting Blue on the couch and grabbing a toy light saber. He ignored Grace and Patrick's cries and pounding on the door as he warily approached the wagon and gifts, armed with the light saber and a chair. He made a lunge with the light saber when…..

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" A corn dog puppet screamed.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Victor screamed right back.

"I can't see!" Grouchy's voice screamed as he ran about blindly. "I can't see! I'm on a dark, lifeless path that smells like corndogs! Oh the smurfanity!" Blue laughed uncontrollably, holding a pillow and watching the little corn dog puppet run about. Victor kept jumping around, the paper crown falling off his head. He slammed the chair down, but missed the corndog puppet by inches. He raised the light saber and prepared to swipe at the corndog, but something else flew out of the portal and slammed right into his face, forcing him to fall backwards onto the floor. Blue continued to laugh at the show.

"Sorry, mister!" Clumsy said sincerely. "You're face got in the way."

Victor stared in terror at the little blue being that stood on his face. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he screamed again.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Clumsy shouted, clutching his hat.

Grace and Patrick paused in their pounding on the door. "Was that Clumsy?" Grace asked.

"Smurfs?" Patrick and Grace breathed before resuming their push on the door.

"Clumsy, help!" Grouchy shouted from the corn dog puppet. He inadvertently jumped off Victor's head as the man struggled to stand up.

"Look out, Grouchy!" Clumsy called.

"Clumsy is that you?" Grouchy shouted in terror.

"This way!" Clumsy urged, not sure how to help his brother.

"I'm blind!" Grouchy screamed.

"No, you're in a corndog!" Clumsy futilely tried to calm him down.

"I knew it would end this way!" Grouchy screamed.

Victor raised his sword again, but a third thing flew from the portal and ricocheted off his head. Vanity screamed as he flew through the air and landed on a mirror, slumping to the desk. He looked around fearfully. "Where am I? This place is strange, and terrifying! And….." He turned to the mirror and noticed his reflection. "…sooooo handsome!" He kissed his reflection. "Hello you."

Papa was the last one out before the portal closed and the winds died. But what Papa didn't expect was landing almost headfirst into a bag filled with corndogs. He pushed himself to his feet, a piece of corndog on his hat and the world spinning before his eyes.

"Everyone okay?" He called. He shook his head to get rid of the dizziness (and the corndog) and noticed Grouchy and Clumsy flailing about.

"No!" Grouchy shouted from inside the corndog puppet. "We're lost in the dark and it smells like corndog!" Papa desperately tried to calm Grouchy down, but he and Clumsy were forced to duck as Victor swung the light saber towards them. While he didn't hit any of them, he did knock the puppet off Grouchy. When he took a look at Victor, Grouchy said, "Whoa. Master Winslow's gotten old."

Victor would've smashed them through the floor if Patrick and Grace hadn't managed to get through the doors and stop him. "Stop!" Patrick shouted. "They're friends."

"Friends?" Victor scoffed as Grace went to retrieve her son. "They're little blue aliens trying to steal our faces!"

"No, no, they're called Smurfs." Patrick explained to calm Victor down.

"And they are the sweetest little things you ever did see!" Grace gushed, tickling Grouchy's stomach.

Grouchy gagged. "Not me."

Grace laughed. "No, not you Grouchy."

Patrick knelt down beside his wife, smiling. "Papa, Clumsy!"

"Patrick!" Clumsy cheered, happy to see a familiar face.

"Master Winslow." Papa greeted warmly, relieved that the chaos finally settled.

"Hi Grace!" Clumsy greeted.

"Smurf, smurf, smurf!" Blue cheered, pointing to the blue beings before him. Patrick smiled, happy to see those familiar blue faces and that Blue finally got to meet the characters from the stories his parents told him.

"Is that Blue?" Papa smiled at the sight.

"He's huge!" Clumsy laughed.

"Whoa!" Grouchy huffed. "I wouldn't want to be the stork that brought that guy." Blue giggled at the comment.

Victor, having finally calmed down and realizing these little blue beings posed no threat, finally decided, "Well, if Blue likes the Smurfs, then Vicstor likes the Smurfs." He shut off the toy light saber and turned when someone cleared their throat loudly. Patrick, Grace, and Blue turned to see another Smurf, this one with a flower in his hat, approach the edge of the desk he stood on.

"What a thrill this must be for all of you." Vanity said with a dismissive wave. "No pictures, please."

Papa chuckled. "That's Vanity."

Grouchy gave a fake cough. "Narcissist."

Patrick and Grace didn't care. It was nice to see a new Smurf and be formally introduced. More importantly, it was nice to see their friends again. But then brought up the interesting question.

"What are you guys doing here?" Patrick asked as he and Grace stood. He held Blue on his hip, and the little boy couldn't stop staring with joy at the little Smurfs.

But at Patrick's question, the situation became serious. "Smurfette and Archer have been taken!" Clumsy announced.

"Wait, what?" Grace asked, shocked.

"Taken?" Patrick asked. "What do you mean taken?"

"Smurfnapped by that ghastly Gargamel!" Vanity explained.

"Smurfnapped?" Patrick asked. "Wait a minute, how did _both _of them get taken? I thought Archer was tough as nails."

"Smurfette was off alone because she thought we forgot her birthday." Clumsy said. "Archer went after her!"

"There was…a misunderstanding." Papa said ruefully. "But if we can find him, we'll find the girls."

Patrick and Grace exchanged looks. "Well, that shouldn't be hard." Patrick said. "He's a big star now. He's in…Paris."

Immediately, Grace started giving orders. "I'll call the dog sitter." She looked to Patrick. "You get Blue's passport." She turned to hurry off, making a mental list of the things they would need to pack.

"Yes!" Victor said. "A rescue mission! I'll come too! You'll need all the help you can get."

Patrick held up a hand. "Wait a minute. Blue's passport? We can't just up and go to Paris." He cast Victor a look. "At least not _all _of us."

Grace walked up, a smirk on her face. "Okay, so that's one vote 'no'. Who votes 'yes'?" She held up her hand. Victor did the same; so did Blue.

"Me!" Clumsy agreed.

"Oh yeah." Grouchy nodded.

"Of course." Papa echoed.

Vanity kissed his hand before raising it. "Ooh la la!"

"Daddy always loses!" Blue giggled. Patrick groaned, but figured he didn't really have a say in the matter.

Grace approached him. "This is my Smurfette we're talking about. We have to go!" Patrick thought for a moment. And then he realized they _did _have to go. Smurfette and Archer needed help. _All_ of their help, if they want to get away from Gargamel. Even with Archer's strength and bravery, she would need someone to run to when they escaped. Patrick didn't worry about the hassle of the plane ride or how they were going to get the Smurfs through the airport; they would cross that bridge when they reached it.

"If we're going to be travelling, let's make sure we do this properly." Vanity announced, raising his hands.

"_La, la, lala la la  
Sing a happy song….."_

Patrick winced and covered his ears. If he had to listen to that all the way to Paris, he'll throw himself out of the plane.


	3. Chapter 3: Paris Problems

**A/N: This chapter will be a little short, just a heads up. Also, to the guest reviewer named ilovesmurfs123, I don't know what wattpad is and I would appreciate it if you didn't put any of my stories on it. Thanks!**

**To all you guys reviewing this story, thank you so much! You guys are what keep writers going!**

* * *

**Chapter Three – Paris Problems**

As it turns out, getting the Smurfs through security at the airport was a breeze. Blue gladly let them stow away in his backpack and they were able to stay still long enough to be seen as toys through the x-rays at the checkpoint. Still, the four Smurfs (Grouchy especially) weren't too thrilled at sharing their travelling space with Blue's books and toys and snacks. But the four-year-old boy kindly walked with a steady pace so that his bag didn't jostle too much. When the group finally reached the airplane and it took off, they all relaxed. It was still very late when the plane took off, and most of the passengers fell asleep. It would be about an eight hour flight after all. Patrick couldn't help but wonder how the Smurfs would handle jet lag, if they would even be able to experience it.

Papa made sure they were well hidden as he tucked his three sons into "bed". Blue had his backpack under the seat right in front of him, and somehow Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity managed to snuggle up on top of it comfortably, using one of Blue's sweatshirts as a blanket. Papa lovingly rubbed Clumsy's head until the klutzy Smurf's eyelids slid closed. The father of the Smurfs smiled, making sure each Smurf was tucked in and sleeping peacefully. He moved away from them and peered out at the other seats. Grace already slept, her chair leaned back a little and her head in a pillow. Victor, across the aisle, also took a nap. Blue and Patrick were still awake: Blue looking at one of his books and Patrick staring out the window.

Patrick looked down and noticed Papa. "Hey." He whispered, lowering a hand to help the Smurf up to the seat. Papa moved to the armrest of the chair, staring out at the dark, starry skies. Patrick leaned back in his chair, trying to relax. But he noticed Papa's faint reflection in the window and the look on the elder Smurf's face. "You okay?"

"Fine." Papa sighed. "Just worried."

"Hey, we'll find Smurfette and Archer." Patrick whispered so no one but Blue would hear. "Gargamel doesn't scare me."

"That's good." Papa nodded, still staring out the window. "I just….." He sighed. "I wish I had paid closer attention."

"What do you mean?" Patrick asked.

"Smurfette gets nightmares. Every year on her birthday." Papa explained softly. "Nightmares that sometimes cause her to wake up screaming. I know that a birthday is a smurfy time; a time to celebrate. But Smurfette's birthday always made me nervous."

"Nervous how?" Patrick asked.

"I'm always worried about Gargamel." Papa gulped back his fears. "I never expected that this birthday would be the day he struck." He shook his head, still staring at the stars. "If I could smurf another chance, I wouldn't have left Smurfette's side."

"Hey, you did what you thought was best." Patrick insisted in a soft voice. "How could you have known Gargamel would find a way to get her? Besides, Archer's with her, and if I know Archer, I know that Smurfette's in good hands."

Papa chuckled softly. "Indeed. But just because they're together doesn't make me any less worried. Surely you remember how Archer is?"

"You mean how she gets in trouble a lot? How she has a mouth on her that she can't control sometimes? Yeah, I know how she is. It's a wonder you don't lock Archer in her room all day." Patrick sighed. "Brave or reckless, she certainly knows how to get into trouble."

"I can't smurf her to her room. She'll escape. Besides, I only get worried when she comes so close to getting killed." Papa admitted.

"And how often does that happen?" Patrick scoffed.

Papa smiled softly. "Master Winslow, Archer always smurfs herself into dangerous situations; she does it because she loves her family and will risk anything to keep us safe. I've learned to get used to it; and she's learned to be more careful. It's only when she truly smurfs close to dying do I get worried." His smile disappeared. "I can't bear to think about what would happen if she really did die one day, just because I wasn't paying close enough attention."

Patrick didn't have a response to that. How _could _he respond to that? He didn't have that problem with Blue; then again, Blue wasn't being hunted by an evil wizard and he didn't even know how to shoot a bow and arrow. Patrick just smiled. "I'm sure everything will be fine." He assured Papa. The old Smurf turned and gave Patrick a tired smile, as though to assure him that he believed it. But Papa already felt dread nibbling at his insides. It took a deep, calming breath to get rid of the feeling of uneasiness.

"Daddy?" Blue said softly. "I can't sleep."

Patrick turned and ruffled the boy's hair. "You comfortable?"

"Yeah." Blue sighed, snuggling under his blanket. "But I still can't sleep."

Papa jumped down and walked over to Blue's chair, climbing up the armrest. "How about a story? I can tell you about the time my Hefty Smurf battled the fearsome dragon."

Blue's eyes lit up. "A dragon?"

"Yes." Papa nodded, climbing up to Blue's shoulder. The boy settled down as Papa began the story, whispering it in his ear. Patrick looked out the window, staring at the night sky.

_Hang on, Smurfette and Archer. _He thought. _We're coming for ya._

* * *

Archer stared out at the night sky from the bird cage Gargamel locked her and Smurfette in. She kept a soft gaze at the stars, her thoughts wandering. Then, she heard a soft whimpering, and she looked over to Smurfette, curled in a ball and quivering in her sleep.

"Smurfette." Archer whispered, crawling over to her sister and shaking her. "Smurfette, wake up!"

Smurfette gasped as she bolted upright, breathing hard. When she looked around and noticed the cage, she hurriedly stood up and rattled the bars like she would tear them apart. But she didn't have the strength. Smurfette trembled, tears threatening to spill out. Archer put a hand on her sister's shoulder. Smurfette suddenly came forward, and Archer wrapped her in a comforting embrace. "Oh Archer….what if…what if Papa doesn't—"

"Don't say that." Archer said firmly. Her voice became softer and she held Smurfette close. "Papa will come for us. And until he does, remember that I'm here. I'll take care of you."

Smurfette nodded, but she still shook. Archer led her to the center of the cage, where Gargamel had laid down a washcloth for a bed. Archer coaxed Smurfette into lying down, singing softly until the blonde-haired Smurfette fell into an uneasy sleep. Archer looked back to the window, hoping and praying Papa came for them soon.

_Goodnight, Papa. _Archer sighed before settling down beside Smurfette.

* * *

The Winslows and Victor filed out of the taxi when it stopped at their hotel. The Smurfs stayed in a paper bag, well hidden from passerby's eyes.

"All right, we're all clear on the plan, right?" Patrick clarified as they unloaded the taxi of their bags. "We'll go over to Gargamel's show, see if Smurfette's there."

"Yes." Grace nodded. She held up a magazine with Gargamel on the cover. "And I'll go over to Gargamel's hotel and see if I can find out what room he's in. And Victor, you and Blue can just check into the room here."

Victor looked unsure. "Well, actually, I was thinking—"

"No, no, no!" Patrick interrupted. "No 'actually', 'I', nothing. You and Blue upstairs. That's the deal; end of story." He walked off before Victor could protest. He approached the driver and said, "Le Paris House s'il vous plaît."

Grace walked up with a smile. "Oh, tre von."

"My French is tre sexi, no?" Patrick smirked.

"Oh, well maybe I get you a beret."

"Oh, you cannot handle me in a beret."

Grouchy grimaced at the sight of the two humans nuzzling noses lovingly. "Hey! Get a shroom!"

Patrick and Grace laughed a little, shared one last good luck kiss, and split off.

* * *

"Give him the formula….give him the formula…..give him the formula….you _want _to give it to him…"

Archer's eyes almost glazed over from boredom. Smurfette tugged futilely at the bonds that held her to a lamp while Archer rattled the bars of the birdcage. Vexy and Hackus looked about as bored as the two Smurfettes, although Hackus seemed to be affected by the swirling colors on the window machine.

"You'll feel better about yourself if you stop being such an annoying little brat!" Gargamel growled. "And give him the formula!"

"La, la, lala la la!" Smurfette and Archer sang loudly, smirking. "La, lala la la!"

"Make them stop!" Vexy groaned, hitting her head against a brass bell. "It burns!"

"Hackus tell you everything I know!" Hackus said, staring at the swirling colors. "Hackus doesn't know anything!" He cried as he passed out.

Gargamel paused when he heard a beeping sound. "Buffering? What?"

"_Cinq minute, Monsieur Gargamel." _A voice said over an intercom.

"Eh, my public awaits." Gargamel sighed, walking to his desk and taking up a pair of scissors. "Once again I must go astound and confound the merry imbeciles." Azrael meowed. "What do you mean I'm out of essence?" Azrael meowed again, but Gargamel smirked. "Oh, we can still do the show all right. Because we have all the essence we need right here, now don't we?" He approached a struggling Smurfette with the scissors. "Just need a little snip." He took some of Smurfette's hair between his fingers, ignoring Archer's shouts, and snipped the blonde hair away. "Take little off the ears." Gargamel chuckled evilly. Now, Smurfette's hair barely brushed past her ear lobes.

"Why you little—" Archer growled.

"Now, now, don't be jealous." Gargamel said, coming up to the birdcage. "You'll get your turn."

"Don't you—hey!" she yelped when Gargamel suddenly grabbed her long braid and yanked on it. Her head hit the bars of the cage, and Archer struggled to free herself. She pulled her head forward, but not before Gargamel snipped off about half her hair. Now, Archer's acorn brown locks brushed her elbows. Her braid already began to come undone.

"When my Papa gets here, you're going to be sorry!" Smurfette snapped.

"Your papa is not coming because your _real _father is already here!" Gargamel insisted, turning to face Smurfette.

That's when Smurfette felt a length of the rope go loose. She turned her head just enough to see Gargamel accidently snipped her ropes free. As the wizard talked, she worked the ropes around her torso so they would get looser.

"Now, you can either be a good little girl and give me the formula," Gargamel said. "Or you can spend the rest of your miserable little existence being harvested inside my new super powered Smurfalator!" Smurfette gasped softly, but kept working the ropes as discretely as she could. "You're call entirely. It's really up to you."

When Gargamel turned, Smurfette finally pulled the ropes loose and she made a run for it. But Vexy and Hackus chased her. Vexy grabbed Smurfette while Gargamel grabbed a vase and dumped out the flowers. Smurfette struggled to get free from Vexy's grasp, jumping to her feet when the Naughty let go. Suddenly, Gargamel slammed a glass vase over her, halting Smurfette in her tracks.

"Nice work, my dear." Gargamel complimented. Vexy felt her chest swell with pride. How often did her father truly compliment her on something she did? "And as for you: nice try!" Gargamel laughed at Smurfette.

"You can't keep us here forever!" Archer shouted after the wizard. "We'll get out!"

"Oh do shut up." Gargamel waved his wand dismissively. "Just sit in your cage like a good girl and eat your lunch."

Archer turned to look at the little cups of water and birdseed. "I am not a parakeet!"

Gargamel ignored her He turned and walked off, but Azrael yowled. "Yes, Azrael, you can push the button on the Smurfalator." He pressed a hidden button and the full-length mirror on the wall moved to reveal another room on the other side. "Come, come, come! We'll brew this hair into Smurf essence!" He and Azrael disappeared, laughing all the way down the spiral staircase.

"Papa…" Smurfette whimpered. "Please hurry. I'm so scared." She trembled and sniffed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Aw." Vexy said, coming up to the glass. Smurfette cross her arms and glared. "Poor baby's gonna cry."

"Hello pretty lady!" Hackus greeted, licking the glass. "Hackus pretty too!" He blew a raspberry on the glass.

Archer rattled her cage door. "Hey, why don't you smurf on someone your own pigment?"

"Ooh, good one." Vexy smirked. "Hey Hackus, the uglier one has a mouth on her."

Archer gasped, insulted. "Oh, if I weren't stuck in this cage I'd smurf you in the eye!"

"As if we're afraid of you." Vexy scoffed.

"You should be." Archer growled. "Because if you hurt Smurfette in any way, I'll kill you."

Vexy stared at Archer. "Why do you care?"

"Because Smurfette is my sister." Archer said firmly. "And I swore to protect my family from anything that would hurt them." Archer sighed. "But what am I telling _you _this for? As if you could understand the concept of a family."

Vexy stared at her for a moment before turning and walking off, her brother close by her side.


	4. Chapter 4: At the Paris Opera House

**Chapter Four – At the Paris Opera House**

Patrick walked through the halls of the Paris Opera House, a little mesmerized by the beauty and the majesty of the building. Unfortunately, he couldn't fully enjoy it for two reasons: he was a man on a mission and he was too busy holding his sides a little so that the Smurfs didn't fall from his sweater. He hurriedly walked through the opera house, looking around for the main stage. Finally, he spotted the stage and moved over near some seats. The stage was set up with a doorway to one side with the words "Gargamel" lit up across the top. From what Papa could see through Patrick's sweater, it looked almost like the forest back home. He could even see an outline of Gargamel's hovel in the background. A voice came over the intercom, announcing Gargamel Le Grand, and a fanfare played as the familiar wizard came through the double doors. Patrick tried to stay fearless, but inside he was scared. He knew Gargamel's power could potentially hurt him, but he was thankful that Gargamel wasn't strong enough to kill him.

"Wait, wait!" Gargamel called from the stage. "I asked for a shroud of mystery! This is a wisp!" He waved his wand. "Alakazatmosphere!"

Patrick jumped as a cloud of blue energy and mist burst over the crowd like a tidal wave. _Scratch that. _Patrick gulped a little. _Now he can kill me._

"Holy Smurf!" Even Papa was amazed.

"Where did that come from?" Vanity whimpered.

"He's never had this much power before!" Papa breathed worriedly. Patrick stayed focused on the task at hand, and he noticed a glowing sign that basically said in French, "Actor Entrance". He took one last look at Gargamel before moving off towards the door. He watched Gargamel's act for a moment, but it only made him more worried.

Finally, he reached the door. "Okay guys, we're going in." Patrick told the Smurfs. But he opened the door and was stopped by a security guard speaking to him hurriedly in French. "Par le vous Anglais?"

"Non." The guard shook his head.

"Great." Patrick groaned a little, but saw this as an advantage. "Okay, Papa, sneak out the back of my sweater while I talk to this man who has no idea what I'm saying and go find that dressing room." Papa and his Smurfs obeyed, ducking past the security guard and hurrying backstage.

"Great vacation, guys." Grouchy said sarcastically. "I can feel the stress melting right off of me!"

"Don't spiral, Grouchy." Vanity groaned.

"Yeah, we got this." Clumsy assured, despite tripping to the ground two seconds later.

Suddenly, Vanity froze, causing all the other Smurfs to stop. "Gentlemen, we have a cat problem."

Papa hurriedly pulled his Smurfs down where Azrael couldn't see them. "Get down! Get down!" He urged, looking for another way out. "Hurry, up those ropes!"

"Is Smurfette really worth all this?" Grouchy asked. "I'm just saying!"

"Let's go!" Papa urged. _We have to find them quickly. Who knows what Gargamel has done to them by now? _Papa blinked. _Or what Archer has done to Gargamel by now._

* * *

Patrick groaned as the guard closed the door. _Okay, so maybe I can't follow the Smurfs in. _He moved around to stare at the stage. _But I can at least keep an eye on Gargamel until they get back. _He watched as Gargamel rambled on about "bowing to the great and powerful Gargamel" when he noticed Azrael come onstage, yowling.

Gargamel turned at his cat's vocalizing. "What are you doing out here? How dare you?" Patrick moved a little closer to hear what was going on, but stayed in the shadows on the off-chance Gargamel noticed him. "You smell something suspicious? Well of course you do. I've seen where you put your nose."

_Suspicious? Oh no._ The Smurfs must've strayed too close to Azrael! Patrick's mind raced with ideas to get backstage and help the others, but he jumped when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around, expecting a fight, but only seeing….

"Hi Daddy!" Blue greeted with a smile.

"Blue!" Patrick turned and growled. "Vic!"

"Hey, hey, just listen." Victor said hurriedly but quietly. "Blue and I decided we can't let you run solo on this. We can do this together. Three generations of proud Doyle men standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Even though we're all different heights and whatnot."

"We are not Doyle men." Patrick said, pointing at Blue.

"Winslow hyphen Doyle!" Victor groaned, but was quickly shushed by some nearby audience members. "You've got a real bee in your bonnet about the whole name thing!"

"Alakazanimal!" Gargamel suddenly called, and the three of them whipped around just in time to see Azrael grow and grow until he was giant, towering over Gargamel in size.

Patrick stared. _Oh this is just great. _He groaned. _Papa, please hurry._

* * *

Archer rattled the bars of her cage, but they stayed firm. She thought for a moment when an idea popped in her head. She pulled out an arrow and used the obsidian arrowhead as a knife, slicing away one of her pant legs. Now her left pant leg was Daisy Duke short length; but she focused on her task. She dipped the pant leg in the water dish and thoroughly soaked it. Then she looped the wet fabric around three thin bars of the cage. She wrapped the loose ends around her bow and started twisting the fabric, turning her bow in a clockwise motion to tighten the wet fabric around the bars of her cage. Archer put all her strength into it, and the bars started bending. She smiled as she continued to twist her bow until the bars separated enough for her to squeeze through. She discarded her torn pant leg, not caring that her pants looked weird now. She looked out and spied Vexy and Hackus talking on a desk in the middle of the room and Smurfette shoving the vase towards the edge of the table. Archer smirked and pulled out a rope from her quiver.

"If we ever want to be blue, we gotta come up with some way to get her talking." Vexy said, jerking her head back towards Smurfette. "Got any ideas?"

"Oh, I know!" Hackus cheered. "Say please." He sniffed the finger he recently stuck in his ear and licked it a little, gagging.

"Never mind." Vexy chuckled. "I forgot you were, you." Then, something came to her. "All right, here's my plan: we trick her into acting like us. Her and that Archer girl. You know, make them be naughty."

"Naughty, naughty!" Hackus cheered, clapping his hands.

"We use all their goodness against them." Vexy continued. "Once that happens, they'll feel like they're part of our family."

"Family!" Hackus agreed, smiling broadly. "I like family!"

Archer, having just shot the rope up to the molding of a skylight and testing its strength, suddenly swung down and kicked the top of the vase, knocking it over and to the floor. Smurfette caught the edge of the table before she could fall and Archer landed softly on a tall suitcase. The vase hit the ground and shattered.

"Broken family!" Hackus cried.

"Smurfette, run!" Archer shouted, leaping like a frog up to a pole hanging off the wall.

"Get them!" Vexy called, urging Hackus into running after the two Smurfettes.

"See ya later, smurfagators!" Smurfette taunted, following Archer.

"Father's going to kill us!" Vexy groaned.

Archer couldn't help but noticed the tone in Vexy's voice, like she was worried Gargamel really _would _kill her if he found out they escaped. But she shook it off. Archer and Smurfette managed to get to the top long before the Naughties could; but they weren't far behind.

"Au revoir, trolls!" Smurfette teased. Archer stuck her thumbs in her ears, wiggled her fingers, and blew a raspberry with her tongue out. The girls laughed as they jumped out the skylight. Archer and Smurfette leaped down into the nearby gutter and slid down the pipe, landing a little hard on the ground. They hurried down the alleyway, not looking back even when they heard the Naughties chasing them.

Seconds after Hackus and Vexy disappeared, Papa, Vanity, Clumsy, and Grouchy found their way into the dressing room.

"Smurfette?" Clumsy called as they pushed through a small window. "Archer?"

"Where are you?" Grouchy shouted.

"Question: how is it we can't reach a doorknob but we _can _get up here?" Vanity asked. Suddenly, Clumsy slipped off the edge of the window, pulling Grouchy and Vanity down like a chain. Papa tried to hold on, but the swift jerk of Clumsy hitting the end of the chain caused him to slip and therefore send them all to the floor. Somehow, Clumsy managed to bounce right back on his feet. Triumphant, Clumsy performed a few Smurf Fu moves, which only resulted in a swift kick to the nose by his own foot.

Grouchy laughed. "You just lost a fight to an empty room."

"Spread out!" Papa ordered. "Search everywhere for even a clue as to where the girls might be!"

* * *

Patrick stared at the stage, paying particular attention to Gargamel and the now-giant Azrael. There was no way he'd be able to sneak backstage, especially right now. He turned to Victor and Blue. "You have to go! Now!"

"Aye, yeah." Victor nodded. "As soon as we get the Smurfettes!"

"Yeah!" Blue echoed. Patrick wanted to protest, but Victor gently pushed Blue into the shadows and marched up into the aisle.

"You! Magic man!" Victor shouted, ignoring the spotlight now on him. "Hand over the Smurfettes!"

Gargamel narrowed his eyes, confused and a little suspicious. How does this man know about Smurfette and Archer? "What did you just say?"

"You heard me!" Victor called bravely. "Give me the Smurfette and her little Archer friend! Now!"

Gargamel glared, infuriated and maybe a little fearful. "How dare you!" He raised his wand. "Alaka—"

Patrick couldn't hold it in. "Duck!" He warned.

"Duck!" Gargamel shouted, pointing his wand at Victor. The blue blast met its mark, and Victor's arm suddenly turned into a wing. "Duck?"

Patrick and Blue and the entire audience watched, amazed and shocked, as Victor's mouth and nose became a beak, feathers sprouted over his body, and his suit was torn to shreds. The only thing that remained was a dizzy mallard holding his head with a wing. Blue's mouth dropped. His grandpa was a duck!

"No!" Patrick shouted, too late realizing the mistake. He looked up as the spotlight caught him, and Gargamel finally spotted him.

"You!" Gargamel growled, raising his wand. "By Great Merlin's beard, I remember you!" He launched a blast from his wand, straight at Patrick. "We meet again, eh?"

"Blue!" Patrick called, putting himself between the blast and his son. Suddenly, he felt something grab his torso, and it lifted him into the air. He felt a slight electrical sensation, like a shock, but knew it was nothing compared to what a Smurf might've felt. He flailed and kicked a little as Gargamel moved him all over the audience.

"Daddy's flying!" Blue cheered. "Daddy's flying!"

"Well, well, well! It appears we have a volunteer after all!" Gargamel laughed. "Open wide, Azrael!" Patrick flailed more, but could do nothing as Azrael opened his mouth and prepared to take a bite out of the human. Patrick struggled, desperate to get free and bracing himself for sharp teeth and fish breath.

"Put him down, Gargafella!" Victor shouted with a _quack_, flying right into Gargamel's chest and forcing him to the ground. Patrick felt the energy let go of him and he fell to the ground, bouncing a little. He watched, shocked, as Victor the duck continued to peck and scratch at him, shouting "Leave my son alone! Teach you to mess with us Doyle ducks!" Patrick stood, unaware that giant Azrael crept up behind him to bite his head off. But Gargamel kept sending random blasts in random directions, and one hit Azrael. Patrick spun around to see the cat shrink back to normal size and run off before hurrying to scoop up Victor. He jumped off the stage and ran off, dodging deadly blasts from Gargamel's wand.

"Come on, Blue!" Patrick urged, holding Blue in one arm and a struggling Victor the mallard in the other.

"Put me down!" Victor complained. "I could've taken him! I had him!" Patrick ignored his stepfather as he darted away, praying that the Smurfs would find a way out without him.

* * *

"Smurfette's hair!" Papa announced, holding up the golden locks he found on the vanity. "She's been here!"

"I think that's one of Archer's arrows in the ceiling!" Clumsy called, pointing to the skylight.

"Look, I found something!" Vanity announced. "A portrait of perfection." He kissed his reflection in the mirror.

"Imagine how good you'd look if you were actually helping!" Grouchy snapped as the Smurfs continued their search.

"Don't hate the player, hate the game." Vanity said dismissively.

"Smurfette!" Papa called.

"Smurfette!" Clumsy echoed. "Archer! Come on out, guys!"

"Whoa, hey, is that coffee?" Grouchy mused, standing on top of a metal tea pitcher. "Anyone else want a cup of Joe?" He suddenly slipped, landing with his stomach on top of the pitcher and his nose pressing the hidden button that opened the mirror door. "Hey, what's that?" Grouchy asked nasally as he fell to the floor.

"It's a mirror, you barbarian." Vanity sighed as he looked into the giant mirror.

"Snap out of it, Vanity, and push!" Papa ordered. He, Grouchy, and Vanity pushed against the spinning door, opening it fully to see it led to a dark, creepy room and a metal, spiral staircase.

Vanity gulped, pushing Grouchy ahead of him. "Rage before beauty." The three of them walked inside, looking around.

"Whatever this is, it's making my butt scrunch." Grouchy groaned.

Clumsy jumped a little at the sight of a skull on the desk. "Whew, that's a little scary. I mean….." he tripped a little, tapping the window machine nearby and opening up the screen page to show a picture of… "Gargamel!" Clumsy shrieked as the window machine fell on him and forced him to the ground.

Papa, Vanity, and Grouchy hurried over at Clumsy's cry, staring at what he found. "Clumsy!" Grouchy shushed his brother as Clumsy did more of his Smurf Fu moves. "You trying to get us smurfed?"

Papa stared at the strange device. "It's some sort of magic window."

"Maybe it will show us where Smurfette is." Clumsy suggested.

"Naughties?" someone called. The four Smurfs jumped when they realized Gargamel returned, and they quickly lifted the magic window and hurried to the mirror door, their only way of escape. "Smurfette? Hello?" Gargamel called, looking over the balcony but seeing no trace of his children. He hurried down the stairs just as the four Smurfs moved behind the mirror door and shut it. "Hello? Anybody here? Children?" Gargamel's fear and frustration rose. "Smurfette? Your papa is back!"

Clumsy gasped softly. "Her papa?" He looked to Papa Smurf, who seemed just as shocked when his worst fears began to surface. Gargamel didn't just capture Smurfette; he was trying to get his creation back!

"If this is a joke, I assure you, I don't find it funny!" Gargamel snapped, opening the mirror door and sweeping the Smurfs to one side. Grouchy nearly lost his balance and would've fallen had Papa not caught him. They snuck away from Gargamel's voice as he shouted, "Hello? Are you down there? You little delinquents!" He groaned as he pushed the door shut. "They must've retreated back to the hotel."

Unfortunately, that same sweep of the door shutting caused the four Smurfs and the magic window to tumble off the edge and right down the stairs!

"Merow!" Azrael said hurriedly.

"Yes, I know we're running out of time!" Gargamel assured as he hurried up the stairs. "If that Patrick person is here then Papa cannot be far behind! Quickly, to the hotel! We must get to her before he does! And if Archer even _sees _Papa all is lost!"

The Smurfs yelped and shouted as they continued to tumble down the stairs, all the way to the bottom. They were all in pain and now covered in a few bruises, but they survived. Papa groaned as he pushed himself upright.

"My face!" Vanity shrieked. "My face!"

"What?" Grouchy asked, pushing Clumsy off him.

"It's gorgeous!" Vanity smirked. Papa just shook his head.

"Whoo hoo!" Clumsy cheered. "We fell and it wasn't even my fault! Anyone? Anyone?"

Papa stood up a little shakily, a little more concerned now that the situation got worse. Not just because Gargamel had his daughters and almost caught them as well, or the fact that he nearly snapped his spine in half on the edge of those stairs; but because Gargamel was trying to take back Smurfette for good. His worst fears were coming to life. But he shook it off, reminding himself that Archer would keep Smurfette safe and out of Gargamel's clutches until they found the girls.

"Oh…..my…smurf….." Vanity breathed. That's when Papa, Grouchy, and Clumsy noticed the extent of the room they stood in. It looked like it used to be old catacombs beneath a sewer, with a small waterway running right through the room. There were old lampposts and statues and elegant moldings. It all would've looked beautiful yet creepy…..if the Smurfs didn't notice a terrifying machine on the other side of the water.

"I'm scrunching again." Grouchy whimpered.

"Papa?" Clumsy asked in a small voice. "What does this have to do with Smurfette?"

"Everything, I'm afraid." Papa said gravely.

"Why would he build such a hideous device?" Vanity squeaked.

"Is that a giant Smurfalator?" Clumsy realized.

"To extract our essence." Papa confirmed.

"What are those containers for?" the fear in Vanity's voice rose until he only whispered with a terrified look on his face. How could he _not _be afraid at the sight of all those tiny cages?

"Ninety-nine bottles of Smurf on the wall." Grouchy sighed.

Vanity gulped in realization. "So, if Smurfette gives him the formula…"

"He can turn as many Naughties into Smurfs as his greedy heart desires." Papa finished, the dark tone in his voice making his Smurfs nervous.

Clumsy stepped back, stepping over the magic window in the process. The screen lit up, and Clumsy's eyes widened at the scene. "Uh…guys?" Clumsy nervously waved his family over. He propped up the magic window so they would see the picture: Smurf Village in flames, every Smurf captured and forced through a portal via Gargamel's wand, and words across the top that read… "Total Smurf-a-geddon." Clumsy gasped.

"Oh dear." Papa moaned. It was worse than he thought.

If Gargamel got the formula, they would all die.

"Need a catch, please." Vanity sighed. But Grouchy just stepped aside as Vanity fainted.


	5. Chapter 5: Candy Shop Adventures

**A/N: Sorry for the delay! Hectic week! Making up for it now! Keep up with the reviews! I'm so happy you're all enjoying this!**

* * *

**Chapter Five – Candy Shop Adventures**

Smurfette and Archer kept running, darting down alleyways and taking maybe a dozen wrong turns. They could hear the Naughties a ways behind them. Archer looked back once, and when she looked forward again she slammed into some bottles leaning against the walls and fell to the ground. Smurfette hurried back and helped her sister stand. She gasped.

"Archer, your knee!" Smurfette pointed.

Archer looked down to see her right pant leg torn almost all the way off and a small cut on her knee. "It's just a scratch. Come on!" They resumed their run, dodging people and dogs until they could find a standing sign to hide under.

"I think we lost them." Smurfette panted.

Archer gasped softly. "Oh…my…..smurf." Archer breathed. She looked all around, staring at the myriad of buildings, bicycles, people, and cars. She didn't know how to respond to it all; being in New York City was bad enough, but Paris seemed ten times bigger. And when you're two little Smurfettes in a big city, you tend to run into complications.

"Okay." Archer took a few calming breaths. "We got this. We've handled crazy wizards, scary beasts, and even survived the wonderful yet terrifying kingdom of New York City. We can smurf on Paris, France." She smiled. "Besides, Painter's French and he's smurfy as a puppy…..most of the time. How bad can this be?"

"Right." Smurfette nodded. "We got this." They darted out into the streets.

Two seconds later, they screamed.

Large shoes almost crushed the girls and forced them into the road. Bicycles nearly flattened them and they leaped out of the way. That's when they became separated. Archer dove to one side and Smurfette ran back under the tent shaped sign. Archer ran this way and that, her disoriented vision messing with her sense of direction. Cars almost turned her into a Smurf Pancake. Archer continued to scream, desperately dodging cars as she hurried across the street. She didn't even know how close or how far she was from the sidewalks; the cars forced her every which way.

Finally, Archer dived off the street and hit the sidewalk hard. She scrambled away and hid under some flowerboxes suspended above her head. She breathed hard, looking all around fearfully and her eyes wide like Panicky Smurf. She trembled and whimpered, never so terrified in her entire life. She slid to her knees, her eyes darting around at everything.

"Smurfette?" But Archer didn't see her sister anywhere. "Papa…" she whimpered. "Papa….Gutsy….." Her breathing came out choppy, struggling to keep her tears in. "Oh Papa…I want to go home…." She sniffed, hugging herself and rubbing her arms.

* * *

Vexy looked ahead and noticed a pair of white heels and blue legs under the café sign. "There she is! But I don't see that Archer girl with her."

"Oh, chase over?" Hackus whined.

Vexy thought for a moment. If she and Hackus approached Smurfette too quickly, she'd only run off again, and this time out into the street. She had to be kinder, not come on too strong. She had to treat Smurfette like her sister instead of like a captive. But how to do that? Smurfette was too noble and sweet and…hey, speaking of sweet…

"Hey, Hackus, see that candy store?" Vexy pointed across the street to said store.

"Candy?" Hackus smiled broadly. "Candy!"

"I've got an idea." Vexy explained. "Go get yourself in trouble. Be naughty! I'll take care of the rest." She watched as Hackus hurriedly did her bidding, dodging cars and laughing. She smiled softly, but blinked and reminded herself to concentrate. She walked over to the sign, looked inside and found Smurfette pressed against the wood, looking terrified and utterly upset. Vexy cleared her throat to get Smurfette's attention. "Hey Blondie, where you goin'?"

"Leave me alone." Smurfette sighed.

Vexy smirked. "You mean like your so-called 'Papa' and sister have?"

"No they haven't!" Smurfette snapped. "Archer and I ran out into the street and got separated. We'll meet up again soon."

Vexy shrugged. "All right. But what about your little blue 'Papa'?"

Smurfette narrowed her eyes. "He _will _come for me." But even when trying to say it so firmly, Smurfette didn't sound very convincing to Vexy or herself.

Vexy laughed lightly in disbelief. "He won't. Because he knows you're where you really belong." She noticed the look on Smurfette's face; that look of almost absolutely crushed hope. Vexy continued. "I didn't kidnap you, Smurfette. I brought you home."

Smurfette stared at the ground, letting Vexy's words swim around her brain.

* * *

Archer didn't move from her spot for a while, lost in her distress and terror. When she did look up, she gasped softly at the sight of a familiar figure.

"Naughty, naughty, naughty!" Hackus laughed.

Archer sniffed. "Hackus?" She watched as the Naughty scurried into the candy shop Archer realized she hid next to. Archer cocked her head, confused. She followed carefully and quietly, watching Hackus work. Her eyes widened when he climbed onto a candy stand (perhaps the tallest in the candy café), stuck his face in a candy bowl, and started shooting small pieces of candy out of his mouth like a shotgun. Although the pieces of candy didn't hurt anybody, they certainly caught everyone's attention.

"Yummy candy!" Hackus cheered.

"Hackus!"

Hackus jumped and spun around to see Archer right behind him, hands on her hips and glaring. "What are you doing? This is not very smurfy!"

"Hackus making trouble!" Hackus cheered.

"Hackus…." Archer's eyes widened. "Look out!"

Hackus turned to see one of the candy men approaching with a large wooden paddle. "Uh oh!" He took the licorice in his hand and looped it around the ceiling fan above them. He wrapped his free arm around Archer's waist and held her close as he jumped. The ceiling fan pulled him around just as the candy man swung the paddle, just missing the two creatures.

"Here comes trouble!" Hackus cheered, planting a foot in the candy man's nose and knocking him backwards. Archer instinctively wrapped her arms around Hackus's short neck as he let go of the licorice rope, sending both of them flying. They only separated when they hit the ground.

Archer groaned and she pushed herself upright. "Well, I guess that could've been worse." She gasped when a second candy man charged for her. She screamed and scrambled away. "This is worse! This is definitely worse!" She jumped as the second candy man made wild grabs for her. But she always remained a few feet in front of him, keeping an eye out for Hackus. She noticed a jar of gumballs and ran up to it, knocking it to the ground and shattering the glass. When Archer circled back around the shop, the candy man slipped on the gumballs and hit the ground.

"Teach you to mess with a Smurf!" Archer laughed. She skidded to a halt when Hackus came running towards her, the first candy man close behind with the wooden paddle.

"Run!" Hackus hollered. Archer shouted as she and Hackus ran around the shop, into the windows and up and down the shelves. "Help!" Hackus shrieked again and again. The candy man kept slapping his paddle down, threatening to turn the two creatures into smudges. Archer thought about firing a few arrows into the candy man, but realized that would only make things worse. Then, the second candy man appeared with an electric whisk in hand. Archer pulled Hackus along as they ran, but soon the two became cornered.

"I'm really in trouble now!" Hackus whimpered as he climbed into a candy kabob stand, hoping it would protect him somehow.

"No smurfing." Archer gulped. She reluctantly loaded her bow, ready to fire if either candy man came too close.

Hackus suddenly noticed his sisters at the door and shouted, "Vexy! Help! Help Hackus!"

Archer saw Smurfette as well. "Hey Smurfette! A little help here!"

Vexy and Smurfette stared for a moment, wide eyed and worried, as the two candy men came closer and closer to their siblings. "Smurfette!" Vexy asked in her best whimpering voice. "What are we gonna do?"

Smurfette noticed a fallen spoon and instantly got an idea. "Vexy! Give me a lift! Come on, jump!" Vexy soon realized what she meant and she leaped as high as she could, stomping on the scoop end. The result had a seesaw effect, with the handle throwing Smurfette into the air and onto a jelly donut near Hackus and Archer, squirting jam right into one of the candy men's face. "Bull's-eye!" Smurfette cheered.

"Holy smurf!" Vexy smiled. "Good one, Smurfette!"

"Blend that, candy man!" Smurfette laughed, throwing a candy kabob like a spear into the second candy man's whisk.

"Nice shot!" Archer complimented. She, Hackus, and Smurfette jumped onto a candy cart wheeling towards the door. When the first candy man jumped for it, he only pushed it farther.

"Come on, guys!" Smurfette urged, standing at the front of the cart. "Vexy! Let's go!" Vexy quickly grabbed a railing from under the cart and swung herself up to join Smurfette, Archer, and Hackus just as the cart shot out the door and down the street.

"Hang on!" Vexy called, and the four of them held onto the railing at the front with all their strength.

"Look out!" Hackus called, urging everyone to turn the cart before it could crash into a car.

"Nice move!" Vexy complimented Smurfette. "Stealing a cart!"

"I didn't exactly steal it." Smurfette protested.

"Eyes on the road!" Archer snapped. They turned the cart again to avoid hitting a woman on the road.

"Well it's not yours, is it?" Vexy pointed out.

"Naughty, naughty!" Hackus agreed.

"See?" Vexy laughed. "You're just like us!"

"Watch out!" Archer shouted, pointing to a couple people crossing the road. They made a sharp right turn to avoid them. She wanted to protest at them that Smurfette was _not _just like them, but she was too focused on preventing the cart from crashing into something or someone.

"Hey guys!" Vexy pointed to a horse-drawn carriage on the road. "That's Father's carriage!"

"Father?" Archer asked. "You mean Gargamel?"

"Kitty kitty!" Hackus cheered, pointing to the orange tabby that stuck his head out the window.

"Hey fish breath!" Vexy laughed.

"I don't think it's wise to taunt that cat." Archer pointed out.

"Why not?" Vexy shrugged as they returned to steering.

"Because he's stark-raving smurfy!" Archer said.

"What does that even mean?" Vexy demanded. Her eyes widened. "Watch it!" They swerved the cart again as it almost hit more people.

"Faster!" Hackus laughed. "Faster!"

"Sorry!" Smurfette called to the people she almost hit.

"How are we gonna stop this thing?" Vexy asked frantically.

Smurfette's eyes widened at the sight of some cement blocks ahead. "I don't think that's gonna be a problem!" The cart crashed into the blocks, sending the four of them into the air and into a mud puddle. "And she sticks the landing!" Smurfette cheered when she and Vexy landed on their feet. Hackus and Archer weren't so lucky; Hackus landed face first and Archer landed right on her tail. But the four of them stood and laughed, wiping mud from their faces and their clothes dripping wet.

"Yummy pudding!" Hackus cheered, lapping up the muddy water like a dog.

"Hackus!" Smurfette laughed. "It's mud!"

Hackus didn't seem to care. "Yummy mud!"

Archer busted out laughing as well. "Hackus, I don't think….." They paused when a familiar growl met their ears, and they looked up to see a familiar cat. "Uh oh…"

Smurfette was unafraid. "Take your best shot, cat!"

Azrael did. He lunged for the Smurfettes and Naughties. Archer shoved Hackus out of the way while Smurfette and Vexy jumped back. They made faces at Azrael and taunted, "Nyah, na, nana nyah nyah!" Azrael lunged for the girls, but they jumped aside and his head got stuck in a candy vase.

"Nice shot!" Smurfette and Vexy said simultaneously, high-fouring. "Let's go!"

"Move it or lose it, Hackus!" Vexy laughed.

"Come on, Archer!" Smurfette urged.

"Angry kitty!" Hackus shouted frantically. "Angry kitty!"

Archer hurried to catch up to Smurfette. "What now?"

Smurfette looked around and noticed some pregnant women in beautiful dresses. Two elegant storks stood in the fountain behind them. Smurfette smiled. "To the storks!"

"The storks?" Vexy repeated.

"Oh yeah!" Archer punched the air. "Now _that's _what I'm talking about!"

"This way, guys!" Smurfette urged. "Time to get your wings!"

"Faster!" Hackus urged in a panicked voice. "Faster!"

"Quick, get on the storks!" Smurfette called.

"Let's smurf!" Archer laughed.

Vexy, a little unsure but excited, jumped onto a stork and pulled Archer on behind her. Smurfette jumped on the second one. The storks seemed surprised to have riders, but relaxed seconds later.

"Let's go!" Smurfette called.

"Wait, where's Hackus?" Vexy asked worriedly.

"Fly big stork, fly!" Hackus urged, holding onto the wings on a lady's dress. "Here comes kitty!"

"Hackus!" Archer called. "That's the wrong kind of stork!"

"Come on, Hackus!" Smurfette called. Suddenly, the lady swung the wings around, knocking Hackus off her back and flying into the air. Hackus landed on Smurfette's stork, right behind his blue sister, and they took off. Azrael leaped after them, but only landed in the waters of the fountain. He glared after the Smurfettes and the Naughties, dripping wet and growling.

"Hey look, it's a cat fish!" Smurfette laughed.

"Stork going backwards!" Hackus cried. "Stork going backwards!"

Archer laughed and noticed Vexy's look of wonder. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

Vexy smiled broadly. "This is so beautiful!" The four of them laughed and whooped as they flew high over a Ferris wheel, gazing out at the layout of Paris. Smurfette's stork did a barrel roll, but it caused Hackus to fall off.

"Falling! Falling!" He shouted in terror until Smurfette swooped underneath him and caught her brother. Hackus hugged Smurfette tightly. "Smurfette's my hero!" He proclaimed to anyone that would listen.

Archer whooped and laughed, hanging onto Vexy's shoulder with one hand and punching the air with the other. "This is so awesome!"

"I've never done something so insane!" Vexy laughed.

Archer chuckled, but a sudden gust of wind made her grab both Vexy's shoulders tightly. That same gust of wind blew her arrowhead-covered hat right off her head. "My hat!" she cried, watching in despair as the cloth and obsidian fluttered to the ground. "My hat! We have to go back!"

"Are you crazy?" Vexy demanded. Archer suddenly let go of the Naughty and jumped off the stork, diving down towards her cherished possession.

"Archer!" Smurfette cried. Vexy, without really thinking, steered her stork back down towards Archer. Smurfette stopped her stork and she and Hackus stared after the girls. Vexy managed to swoop the stork right under Archer and catch her before she could hit a woman walking down the street.

"Vexy!" Archer complained as Vexy set her down behind her.

"You never would've made it." Vexy reasoned as she flew back up to Smurfette and Hackus. "You would've become a smudge on the pavement."

"But what about my hat?" Archer asked, staring at the ground. "That was a Christmas gift!"

Vexy bit her lower lip. "It's just a hat, Archer. We'll get you a new one. Come on, guys!" She urged her stork forward, and the four of them sped off on their steeds.

Meanwhile, Archer's hat finally settled down in the large, black-and-white sunhat of a well-dressed lady carrying a black handbag and wearing sunglasses. The hat would've slipped right off if one of the arrowheads didn't hook into the hat.

Grace smirked as she tucked the waiter's pass into her bag and climbed into the cab. She took off her sunhat and fanned herself, a little overwhelmed by the little adventure of getting into the hotel. Then, she noticed something stuck in her hat and held it up to see better. Confused, she gently pulled the white cloth off her hat and flattened it out in her palm to see it more clearly. Upon realizing what it was, Grace hurriedly tucked the object into her purse and urged the taxi driver to hurry.

* * *

Patrick somehow managed to get the card key into the door slot and push the door open, all while holding Blue in one arm and carrying the Smurfs and the tablet in the other. He shut the door with his foot, still frustrated over the failure of the mission so far. He noticed Grace in the bedroom, pulling off a pair of black high heels, and he could only wonder what she had been doing while trying to find Gargamel's suite.

"How did it go?" Grace asked.

"It could've gone better!" Grouchy snapped. "Except that everything was a complete smurftastrophe!" Patrick gently dumped the Smurfs from his arm before setting Blue down on the couch. "It's Smurfy's Law!" Grouchy added.

"Well, _I _have some good news." Grace announced, mostly to Patrick. She pulled a coat hanger off the door to the bedroom to reveal a snazzy white waiter's outfit. "I borrowed a waiter's outfit for you complete with a security card for the elevator."

"How did you manage that?" Patrick asked, surprised.

"Let's just say the Plaza Athénée laundry room was paid a little visit by the international apparel inspector." She gave herself a French accent. "Mademoiselle Doolitte!" Grace giggled. "I was, like, Meryl smurfin' Streep!" Even Patrick had to smile at Grace's enthusiasm and cleverness.

"Good job, Grace!" Clumsy complimented.

"Ooh!" Vanity smiled. "Does everyone get a new outfit or just Patrick?" But a loud crash came before anyone could answer, along with a _quack_ and someone cursing, "Bloody window." The Smurfs smiled/frowned knowingly while Patrick rolled his eyes.

"What was that?" Grace asked.

"That's Victor." Patrick sighed as he stomped to the window. "They wouldn't let him through the lobby, so he flew up." Grace was about to ask what Patrick meant when her husband opened the window and allowed a mallard to fly in and land on a chair.

"No depth perception!" the duck laughed in Victor's voice. Grace gasped, shocked beyond belief.

"Grandpa Vicstor's a duck!" Blue laughed.

"Gargamel zapped him." Patrick explained simply.

Grace managed to calm herself down and she turned to Papa, the only wizard in the room. "You can change him back, right?"

"No." Papa admitted. To prevent Grace from having a heart attack, he added, "But it's a transformation spell. It'll wear off eventually."

"Everybody relax." Victor the duck assured. "It's not a problem. But if you see me lay an egg, it's just between us!" He, Blue, and the Smurfs (even Grouchy) laughed, a little more at ease.

"You don't seem too upset about this." Grace noted, having to sit down from the shock.

"You know, it's not in a duck's nature to get upset." Victor would've shrugged if he could. "We like to let things…." He shook and fluffed out his feathers. "….roll off our backs."

"Seriously?" Patrick groaned in disbelief. "You _seriously _just said that?"

"I like that." Papa said. "That's very smurfy of you."

"Very smurfy." Clumsy nodded in agreement.

"Well, thank you." Victor turned swiftly to Patrick. "See? The little Santa Claus Smurf appreciates me. Maybe someday, Patrick, you'll learn to appreciate my smurfy qualities too!"

Patrick opened his mouth to argue, but Victor quacked and Patrick just sighed. "I am _not _having this conversation with a duck." He sneezed as he sat down on the couch. "And now I'm catching a cold."

Papa felt disappointed. He had intended to ease the tension between Patrick and Victor with his last comment, but it seemed to only make things worse. They had to keep their heads if they wanted to find the girls and get home. _Perhaps Master Victor should've stayed behind. _Papa wondered.

"I wish I had a cold." Grouchy growled. Papa felt a sense of foreboding, and he knew a rant was coming on. _Oh dear. _He only sighed silently and let Grouchy vent. Clumsy also stood back to avoid angering Grouchy any more. Meanwhile, Grouchy's voice grew louder and louder with every sentence. "I've had Hefty's crystal shoved down my throat, got attacked as a corn dog, fell down a sewer, and if _that _wasn't smelly enough…."

Vanity stared at the scene for a moment before finally doing something about it. He rolled his eyes, walked up to Grouchy, and held up his mirror so Grouchy could see himself finish his rant.

"….._had to travel by armpit just to find out we're all going to be EXTINCT!_" Grouchy stared at his reflection. He took the mirror from Vanity. "Holy Smurf. I'm a downer."

"You most certainly are." Vanity smirked, taking his mirror back.

Taking up the role of Optimist, Clumsy assured his brother, "Grouchy, the only way we'll be extinct is if Smurfette gives Gargamel the secret formula."

"But Smurfette would never tell." Grace guessed.

"Of course not." Papa affirmed.

"Absolutely." Vanity agreed.

"Never." Clumsy nodded. "Smurfette could _never _be tricked into being one of them. Besides, Archer's with her, so I know they'll be good and smurfy when we find them."

"I think you should be more worried about what kind of trouble Archer will smurf Smurfette and herself into." Vanity pointed out. "Oh dear, now _I'm _acting like Grouchy!"

Grace suddenly remembered. "Oh, Papa!" She pulled out her purse and rummaged through it a little. She pulled out the white cloth she found earlier and handed it to the red clothed elder. "I found this. I think it fell into my hat or something. I don't know what it might mean, but….."

Papa stared for a moment at the arrowhead-covered, white Smurf hat in Grace's palm before taking it from her. He sighed, rubbing one of the arrowheads with his thumb. "I'm sure Archer's fine. In fact, I'll bet you anything she was flying and this fell off. When we find her, I'll be sure to return it to her. Thank you, Miss Grace."

But in the back of everyone's minds, doubt arose. Even Patrick and Grace knew how precious Archer's hat was to her. So why was it here and she wasn't?


	6. Ch6:Budding Friendships, Concealed Fears

**Chapter Six – Budding Friendships, Concealed Fears**

Still up on the storks, the Naughties and the Smurfettes happily soared in the skies, high enough that they could see all of Paris. It was such an amazing feeling for the Naughties, who never flew before. Archer loved the feel of the wind in her hair and the sun on her face; it reminded her of flying on Feathers back home…with Gutsy or Papa accompanying her. She tried to push those thoughts away for now. She was having so much fun with Vexy and Hackus that it surprised her. These creatures, whom Gargamel created for evil purposes, proved to be more mischievous than evil. And maybe, just maybe, Archer could learn to like them as much as Smurfette started to.

"Hey Smurfette!" Vexy called over the wind. "Did you do _this _with your sisters back in Smurf Village?"

"Lots of flying!" Smurfette replied. "But….I never had a sister."

Archer's smile disappeared. She looked down to hide her face from Smurfette, an ache in her chest. _I always thought _I _was your sister…_

"Well you do now!" Vexy called with a smile. "Wanna race?"

"You wanna race _me_?" Smurfette laughed, diving her stork after Vexy and Archer. "You're in trouble now!"

"As if!" Archer called, her sadness leaving.

"We're gonna lose you, Smurfette!" Vexy called as she directed the stork towards Notre Dame.

"Not a chance!" Smurfette laughed. The four stork riders whooped and laughed, going right through the two bell towers and making a sharp right turn to dive down into the buttresses of the cathedral. They whooped, laughed, and shouted in surprise as they weaved through the architecture, bumping storks in attempts to get ahead.

"This is insane!" Vexy cheered as the storks did barrel rolls through some of the tighter spaces in the architecture.

"You've been missing out, Vex!" Archer laughed. She and Vexy ducked as Smurfette rode right through a flock of pigeons, clouding their vision with a flurry of feathers. But they only laughed and pushed ahead to fly in front of Hackus and Smurfette.

"You're playing dirty now!" Vexy called with a smirk.

"I'm just getting started!" Smurfette laughed. "I call that a crepe Smurfette!" She flew her stork right next to a man making crepes, tearing the freshly made piece of dough to shreds. The four of them flew just a few feet over the café patrons' heads, causing many of them to duck or shout in surprise.

Vexy turned her stork enough to grab some snails off a platter. "Snails to go?" she laughed. "Archer, you steer!" Archer nodded and directed the stork while Vexy moved behind her.

Smurfette, seeing what Vexy was about to do, grabbed a long, thin breadstick and held it like a sword. "Batter up!" Hackus cheered as Vexy threw the snails back. Smurfette easily blocked them, knocking them aside in a small shower of snail slime.

"Come on!" Smurfette urged. "Hit me with your best shot!" She held the breadstick like a bat and Vexy threw the last two snails. Smurfette hit a perfect homerun, causing the snails to nail a lady on the ears like a slimy pair of earrings. "Snailed her!" Smurfette cheered, tossing her breadstick bat to her stork.

"You _are _naughty, Smrufette!" Vexy laughed.

Archer smirked. "Hey Vexy! Cream puff me!"

Vexy raised an eyebrow, but took a cream puff from another waiter and stuck it to the end of one of Archer's arrows. Archer notched the pastry projectile into her bow and took aim. She fired, and the cream puff flew through the air and right towards Smurfette and Hackus. Smurfette ducked, but Hackus got a face full of cream puff.

"Yummy!" Hackus licked his lips.

"Smurfs eye!" Archer cheered.

"Nice one!" Vexy laughed. _Maybe she _could _be one of us!_

They continued their flight, soaring over the waters of a small river nearby and looping around a miniature Statue of Liberty. "Hey! I've seen that lady before!" Smurfette called in awe.

"She's beautiful!" Vexy sighed.

"They've got one of these everywhere!" Smurfette laughed.

Archer let Vexy take the position of driver. "So where to now, guys?"

Vexy noticed something and smiled. "Hey guys! Follow me; we're going on a little detour!" Smurfette steered her stork after Vexy. The two birds landed on the roof of a French toy store and Vexy tied the storks' legs to a railing. "Stay, birds." Vexy ordered. She led the way as the two Naughties and two Smurfettes slipped through a ventilation shaft and tumbled out at the doll section. "Perfect!" Vexy cheered.

"For what?" Smurfette asked.

"Archer needs a new look. Her pants are all torn and that 'top' is filthy." Vexy said, staring at the myriad of doll clothes surrounding her. "You could get one too, but I think the dirty white sundress works pretty well for you."

"Hackus go shopping!" Hackus cheered, bouncing around the floor. "Hackus go shopping!"

Archer chuckled. "You guys don't have to do that."

"Why not?" Vexy shrugged. "Come on."

"Won't we get in trouble?" Archer asked, despite her sincere interest in a Peter Pan outfit right above her head.

"For what?" Vexy asked.

"For smurfing a mess and then stealing the outfit we choose?" Archer said.

Vexy sighed. _Why are Smurfs such goody-goodies? _"Fine. Then we'll leave them something in return for letting us take an outfit or two."

"Like what?" Smurfette asked. The four of them searched themselves for something of value, even Hackus (who mainly searched his belly button and ears).

"What about that ring?" Vexy asked, pointing to Archer's hand.

"That's my engagement ring!" Archer snapped.

"Engagement?" Vexy cocked her head in confusion, but shook it off. "Fine. But if you don't come up with something good, we're just taking whatever we find."

Archer thought for a moment. Then, something clicked in her head. She unhooked her quiver from her hip and opened the secret pocket. She tipped it over and a few small diamonds fell out. Smurfette, Vexy, and Hackus stared at the pretty gems in Archer's palm.

"Archer….." Smurfette breathed. "Where….?"

"Some mining dwarves I saved from a cave-in gave me a large bag of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, amethysts, and emeralds." Archer explained. "I wanted to refuse, but they insisted. So I save some in my quiver in case I need to pay someone back." She smiled craftily. "I guess now is as good a time as ever."

Vexy rubbed her hands together. "All right. Let's see what we can do."

And thus began the exciting adventure of clothes shopping. The four of them swung around on racks and poles, pushing over any outfit they liked and gathering them in a pile on the floor. When they grabbed every outfit they liked, Vexy sort of pushed Archer into trying on every single outfit they chose. First, a Disney Cinderella dress complete with plastic "glass" slippers. Though the blue of the dress looked beautiful compared to Archer's skin and eyes, she didn't really like that it "poufed out like a cupcake". So Vexy pulled out a few more Disney Princess dresses (mostly for everyone else's enjoyment of seeing Archer's disgruntled face every time she looked in the mirror). Her comments made them laugh even harder.

The Belle dress: "I look like the sun that got too many ruffles."

The Snow White dress: "The sleeves are too puffy. I feel like marshmallows are on my shoulders."

The green Tiana dress: "What is it with you guys and the puffy skirts?" (That comment made them laugh the hardest)

When they reached the Tinkerbell, Mulan, Jasmine, and especially the Merida dresses, Archer became more lenient. But they pushed those aside when they reached the more modern clothing. Vexy and Smurfette put themselves in charge of arranging outfits for Archer to put on. Hackus busied himself with trying on the princess dresses Archer didn't like. "Hackus pretty! Hackus pretty!" he kept chanting. The girls only laughed and continued with their shopping. Everything from skirts to pants to shorts; from T-shirts to tank tops to jackets; from boots to sneakers to sandals to high heels (Archer _really _didn't like the heels). Vexy served as the fashionista master, analyzing each outfit Archer put on carefully as though she were a doctor preparing for brain surgery. Archer didn't enjoy it very much at first, but soon warmed up to it. The four of them laughed and joked around as Archer continued to pull off and pull on whatever Vexy handed her. Smurfette tried on a few outfits as well, but she preferred her white dress over anything else.

Finally, after maybe an hour of pulling open packages and trying on outfits (some twice or thrice in a row), Archer finally emerged with her new, Vexy-approved outfit. Archer now wore a ruffled black skirt like Vexy's with her quiver buckled around her hips as a belt. She also wore black tights and sparkling silver ballet flats. Her spaghetti-strap tank top was dark green and silver striped. She still had her bow slung over her shoulder. Vexy even found a length of black ribbon so Archer could tie her brown hair in a ponytail at the nape of her neck.

"Archer look like Vexy!" Hackus cheered.

Archer laughed as she looked back and forth between her outfit and Vexy's. "Well, great minds smurf alike."

Vexy laughed. "You got that right…..whatever that means."

Archer spun around, letting her skirt splay out. "All right. We should smurf out of here before we get caught."

"Don't forget to leave the diamonds." Smurfette said. Archer nodded and found a doll-sized notepad. She pulled a pencil from her hat and wrote the storekeepers a quick note. She left the note and a couple diamonds on the floor next to the discarded clothes. Hackus laughed and jumped around. He hopped onto Smurfette's stork while Vexy and Archer boarded their stork and they took off.

"Pretty clothes!" Hackus laughed uncontrollably. "Pretty clothes for Archer!"

Archer laughed. "You know, he may not be very smart, but he's kind of cute."

Vexy looked back at his brother. "Sure. Let's go with that."

Archer chuckled again. She smiled warmly. "Hey Vexy?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for such an exciting afternoon."

Vexy smiled and looked to Archer. "You're welcome."

* * *

Most of the time, anyone could pass by the Smurf Village and hear them singing, playing, working, or doing some sort of other productive activity. Not today. Today, they all just silently set up for Smurfette's party that evening, all of them quietly praying that she, Archer, and the others would return home in time to have the party in a timely manner.

None of them would admit it, but many of the Smurfs feared they wouldn't come back at all.

Gutsy walked around the village with Luna in his arms, checking up on his brothers while they worked. Despite Brainy claiming he would be in charge while Papa was away, everysmurf knew firstborn Gutsy was always the leader when Papa wasn't around. It wasn't necessarily a stressful job; the Scotsmurf did it before and he'd gladly do it again. But the circumstances that put him in the position made him lose sleep last night. He clung to Luna almost like a lifeline, constantly carrying her in his arms.

"Hey Gutsy." Baker greeted from his mushroom.

Gusty stopped and forced a small smile. "Hey Baker. Doin' all right?"

"Yeah." Baker shrugged, dusting flour off his hands. "Greedy was so upset over Archer and Smurfette getting smurfnapped that he ate more of Smurfette's birthday cake, so I gotta smurf another one."

"I'm sure it'll be better den da last." Gutsy said. Luna babbled happily, as though to agree.

"Thanks." Baker bobbed his head. "Well, I better get back to work."

"Aye. I better get back ta patrolling." Gutsy turned to walk off.

Baker stared and Gutsy for a moment before he spoke up hurriedly, causing his elder brother to stop. "Gutsy. You know they'll come back, right? Papa's gonna bring them home, even if all he has are Vanity, Grouchy, and Clumsy by his side. Archer loves you, Luna, and all of us way too much to stay away."

Gutsy didn't answer for a moment, and even Luna looked up to her father worriedly. But Gutsy just took a breath and forced another smile. "I know, lad. I know." He turned and walked off before Baker could say anything else, leaving the cook to return to his work.

He did know. Gutsy knew Archer would return, and so would Smurfette, Papa, Clumsy, Vanity, and Grouchy. Everything would work out, just like it usually does. Some way or another, this family knew how to get out of tough situations. The only time they ever really lost anyone was when Alchemist died from Balthazar's attack four years ago. It was terrible, but they don't dwell on it so much anymore. They moved on, just like Alchemist would've wanted anyway.

Gutsy stopped walking, sighing. He sat down on a nearby picnic table, looking around to find that his feet brought him to the stage where Smurfette's party would take place. The rest of the Smurfs retreated to the mess hall for lunch, leaving the Scotsmurf and his daughter alone. Gutsy leaned back against the table, bouncing Luna a bit. The baby seemed to not pay attention to her father anymore, staring absentmindedly at the world around her. Gutsy kept bouncing/rocking her gently, letting his thoughts wander to Archer. What was she doing now? Was she scared? No, of course not; Archer's not scared of anything. Is she hurt? That's a possibility. But unless it's something serious, the Smurfette jumped back on her feet in seconds. She's tough, just like her mate and her father. Gutsy leaned his head back to stare at the cloudless skies, a part of him hoping he'd see blue comets shoot down towards him. But nothing came; absolutely nothing….until Luna started babbling happily.

Gutsy brought his head down and noticed Brainy pass by, reading a piece of parchment with a smile on his face. _I was wonderin' why he wasn't bossin' Smurfs around for a while. _"Whatcha got dere, Brainy?"

"A letter from Smartette." Brainy said. "Her five year internship is going smurfy."

"Oh." Gutsy nodded. "Dat's good."

Brainy paused, looking to Gutsy. "You okay?"

"Yeah….." Gutsy murmured.

Brainy stared at Gutsy for a moment before sighing. Being such a genius, he should've known something was wrong. "Gutsy—"

"It's okay, laddie." Gutsy assured. "Although I will admit, I envy you."

"Me?" Brainy blinked. "Why?"

"Because at least you know for a fact that your mate will smurf home." Gutsy sighed.

Brainy blinked a few times before walking over and sitting beside Gutsy. The two brothers remained unmoving for a while. "Gutsy, why are you so afraid that Archer won't smurf back? I mean, she loves us so much. Why _wouldn't _she return?"

"I know." Gutsy mumbled.

"That doesn't answer my question." Brainy said firmly.

"Lad, I don' want ta talk about it." Gutsy said, turning from Brainy.

"Well too bad, we are talking about it." Brainy snapped.

"Lad—"

"Don't you 'lad' me. Why are you so worried about this?"

"I'm not worried."

"Yes you are! How can you straight out lie to me?"

"It's none of yer concern."

"It _is _my concern because Archer's my sister. She's going to smurf home safe and sound. This isn't one of those times when she goes running off into a life-or-death situation for now reason."

"I know dat."

"Then why are you so worried? She's learned how badly we smurf to stuff like that."

"I _know._"

"So what's the problem?"

"Dere's no problem!"

"We wouldn't be having this conversation if there wasn't a problem! Now smurf it out!"

"Ye can't make me!"

"So you admit you have a problem!"

"No!"

"Just tell me what's wrong!"

"_I'm still scared!"_

Brainy recoiled a bit at Gutsy's tone. Luna shrunk down in her father's arms. By then, Gutsy and Brainy had glared at each other, but then Gutsy sighed heavily and his face fell.

"I'm still scared, Brainy." Gutsy admitted in a voice too soft and weak for Briany's liking. "I'm still getting used ta de idea, I suppose. I….I married Archer because I saw so much of myself in her. Since we first met, I felt like I could smurf to her about anything. Any problem I had, I would go to her for before going to Papa." He swallowed a little. "She reminds me of Mama. I've never felt this way about Smurfette or Smartette. I feel like if I lose Archer, I'll lose an important part of myself."

Brainy remained silent the entire time, staring at the brother he looked up to the most because of his strength. Only now, this didn't look like the Gutsy he knew. "Why didn't you ever smurf anyone this? Like Papa?"

Gutsy snorted a little. "It may be hard fer ye ta grasp, but it can be hard ta admit when ye 'ave a weakness. Dis fear I have, it's like a voice in my head dat keeps sayin' 'She'll never smurf back, she'll never smurf back.' I know it's not true; I know she learned her lesson during the Balthazar incident four years ago. But the voice is still dere; whisperin'…..smurfing me lies that I can't help but fear."

Brainy looked down, staring at the grass for a moment. "Can I tell you something? Something I've never told anysmurf, not even Papa?" Gutsy looked up in surprised, but nodded. Brainy took a breath, rubbing Smartette's letter with his thumb. "Four years ago, when we were fighting Gargamel at Belvedere Castle, I could see the terrible things he smurfed to Papa. I was in the bag Gargamel had, but I found a hole that I thought I could squeeze through." Brainy chuckled a bit. "I couldn't even smurf my head through." His face fell again. "Then I heard Papa shouting in pain; I never heard such a sound before. And I had to watch Gargamel hurt him with that stupid wand. I thought…..I thought…" Brainy gulped back the sob in his throat. "I thought I was going to have to watch Papa die."

"I'm sure everysmurf was terrified of that, laddie." Gutsy reasoned. "Yer not de only one."

"But Papa's not just my papa." Brainy countered. "He's my mentor, my teacher. He took me in and taught me magic just because I asked him to. And because I wouldn't stop smurfing through his spell books. He's been so patient with me, no matter how many mistakes I make. Do you have any idea how proud I felt when I smurfed the Blue Moon spell? Then I had to watch the wizard who taught me everything I know get hurt and then come so close to dying." He stared at the grass, running is foot back and forth across the blades. "When we smurfed home, I kept having nightmares of that night. I couldn't stop them."

Gutsy could remember that. More than once, he and/or Archer would leap out of bed and go running to Brainy's mushroom because the poor Smurf would be screaming bloody murder. Eventually, Papa had his apprentice stay with him in his mushroom until the nightmares finally stopped. Nosmurf fully knew what caused it; most of them guessed nightmares, but could never think of something severe enough to cause such a reaction multiple times and many nights in a row. Gutsy heard Luna whining a bit and noticed the baby staring sadly at her uncle. "Why didn't ye tell anyone?"

Brainy cracked a wry smile. "It's hard to admit when you have a weakness."

Gutsy cracked a smile too. Luna wiggled in Gutsy's arms until she could reach over and touch her brainiac uncle's hand, babbling softly. The boys' smiles became more genuine, and Brainy took Luna and began bouncing her a bit, causing the baby to giggle uncontrollably.

_Never seen dis part of Brainy before. _Gutsy thought, smirking. _It's kind of nice ta know he's not a _complete _numbsmurf._

_Never seen this part of Gutsy before. _Brainy thought, still playing with Luna but casting glances at Gutsy now and then. _It's kind of nice to see. He's still one of the best brothers I could ask for, no matter how many times he smurfs me out of the village._

The boys laughed a little, continuing to play with Luna.

_Thank you, my brother._

* * *

**A/N: Just to clarify, I don't own the Disney Princesses or their outfits. I just borrowed them here because I wanted you all to imagine tomboy Archer in them. :D**


	7. Chapter 7: A Family of Misfits

**Chapter Seven – A Family of Misfits**

Patrick wanted to be sneaky as he walked through the Plaza Antheé kitchen, but he reminded himself that he looked like a waiter, so he could act like he was supposed to be there. But he looked up and down the crowded kitchen and couldn't find the food he ordered for Gargamel. Thankfully, the Smurfs had a good enough grip on his jacket and suspenders that they didn't need to be held. Patrick jumped a little when a chef handed him a plate and spoke hurriedly in French.

"Uh, oui, oui, oui!" Patrick nodded as the chef jogged off. He kept searching, but noticed the food on the plate. He looked around, took a piece of food, and popped it into his mouth.

"Master Winslow, please!" Papa scolded from inside Patrick's jacket.

Patrick tried to defend himself. "You can't get a reservation—"

Papa poked his head out of the jacket. "Focus!" he snapped before hiding again. Patrick nodded, mentally kicking himself in the pants.

"Oh, that smells delicious!" Vanity sighed. That's when Papa realized they hadn't really eaten anything in a while. All this excitement and their hunger evaded them until the smell of food reached their noses. But Papa kept his Smurfs on task, even when he was forced to grab Grouchy and pull him back to prevent the Smurf from snagging food.

Patrick looked up and noticed a cart with a notecard that said "Mr. Gargamel". "Le bingo." Patrick murmured, walking up and pushing the cart into the hallway. He pressed the button to the elevator. "Okay guys, listen." He told the Smurfs as he dumped them onto a platter of fish, snails, and greens. "When you get to the room, if there's any problems…" he trailed off when he saw the food, grimacing a little.

Vanity groaned, his foot landing right in a clam shell filled with some liquid he didn't want to describe. "Ugh, snot on a half shell."

"Sorry Mr. Fish!" Clumsy yelped, but laughed a little at the sight of the fish. "Whoa, you look fried."

"Like I said," Patrick repeated. "If are any problems—"

"My friend, there are no such thing as problems." Grouchy-now-Positive assured. "Only smurfatunities."

"You're freaking me out, Grouchy." Vanity groaned.

"Positive!" Grouchy snapped.

"Of course." Vanity rolled his eyes. Patrick suddenly slammed down the lid to the platter to prevent the Smurfs from being seen. He figured they would be able to handle anything if there was a problem. Besides, he would be with the Smurfs every step of the way, and he promised himself he wouldn't let anything happen to them. _Get in, get Smrufette, get out. _Patrick repeated as he walked into the elevator. He inserted the security card and pressed the 5 button. "Okay guys, we're in." He told the Smurfs. _Easy as—_

"Psst! Patrick Winslow-Doyle!" someone quacked.

Patrick's eyes widened and he peered out the elevator. _No. It can't be….._

"Patrick!"

Patrick turned and his eyes widened at the sight of Victor hiding under a cart. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm saving your tail feathers!" Victor whispered. "Now come here!" Patrick tried to protest, but Victor urged him on. "I've got something you need for you mission! Hurry up! There's no time to argue!"

Patrick sighed and marched over, kneeling to the duck's eye level. "What?"

"It's the security card for the elevator!" Victor said, holding up said card in his beak.

"I have the security card." Patrick corrected, holding up the card and tucking it back in his pocket. "What is this?" He took the card and groaned. "This is our room key." He showed Victor the logo with the hotel name on it.

All too late, Victor realized his mistake. "Oh. Well, now when you come back, you'll be able to get in! No problem!"

Patrick would've snapped at his stepfather if he didn't hear the elevator ding and spun around to see the doors closing. He jumped to the elevator, but the doors shut before he could dart inside. _No! Now the Smurfs are on their own! _He groaned, banging his fist on the doors.

"You're welcome! You can thank me later!" Victor whispered, trying to be helpful. He didn't truly understand just how bad the situation became. That is, until the headphone-wearing sous chef from the kitchen found him.

"How did you get out?" the sous chef wondered aloud, picking up Victor and carrying him off to the kitchen. Patrick stood off to the side, trying to act natural.

"Put me down!" Victor snapped. "Patrick! Help! You want a piece of me?" Then, he noticed they headed right for the kitchen. "No, no, no, no! That's not what I meant! Ah yes, it starts with the ducks, and soon no one's safe!"

Patrick was torn. He wanted to open the elevator again and catch up with the Smurfs. After all, Smurfette stood at the top of their priorities. But if a chef accidently chose Victor as the next main course….

"Unbelievable." Patrick groaned as he reluctantly followed Victor's cries.

"PATRICK!" Victor shrieked.

* * *

The Smurfs heard the elevator ding and the doors open, but the cart didn't move.

"Master Winslow?" Papa called.

"Patrick!" Clumsy echoed. The four blue creatures lifted the lid to the platter, but their human friend disappeared from sight.

"Where'd he go?" Grouchy wondered aloud.

"He disappeared!" Clumsy voiced everyone's fears.

"Oh great!" Vanity groaned. "Now we're on our own!"

Papa's eyes widened when another human appeared, and he hurriedly dropped the lid. It fell on Clumsy's foot before he could pull it back, but the klutz managed to cover his mouth before he could shout. Seconds later, the cart began to move. Papa put a finger to his lips, motioning for them to remain quiet. But dread washed over his sons.

"Oh, we're smurfed!" Vanity groaned. "Plan B, anybody?"

"I'm struggling to remain positive here!" Grouchy half snapped, half whispered.

Papa covered his sons' mouths, staring worriedly at the little hole in the top of the lid. He listened to the waiter talk.

"Mousier Gargamel? Room zervice. Oh, hello kitty! Here iz your room zervice."

_Okay, no Gargamel. _Papa sighed a little. _But we still have the cat to worry about._

"What do we do?" Vanity whispered.

"Smurf him with the element of surprise!" Before anyone could stop him, Clumsy suddenly threw the lid up and smacked the waiter in the face, knocking the poor man to the ground.

"Clumsy!" Grouchy snapped.

"Oh dear." Papa groaned.

"Now what do we do?" Grouchy demanded.

"Oh!" Vanity gasped as the man began to rise. "Just act scary!"

"What?" Grouchy asked, dumbfounded.

When the man looked up, his eyes fell upon four blue humanoids mere feet from his face. "Whoooooo!" Vanity said in his best ghost voice. "I'm a scary ghost!" Papa only smiled nervously while Grouchy rolled his eyes.

"Nice." Grouchy groaned. Suddenly, the waiter screamed and shoved the cart away from him, darting out the doors. The Smurfs yelped as the cart shot across the room, turning and swerving.

"Why do so many bad things happen to little blue people?" Vanity screamed.

"Positive!" Grouchy chanted nervously as a snail stuck to his face. "Positive!"

"Window!" Vanity shrieked. "Window!" But before any of them could jump off the cart, the wheels hit the edge of the doors and threw them, the dishware, and all the food out onto the balcony. Papa, Grouchy, Vanity, and Clumsy shouted in surprise as they tumbled right off the ledge! But their quick thinking and reflexes saved them; Papa managed to grab the metal railing of the balcony in one hand and grab Vanity's foot in the other. Vanity grabbed Grouchy's legs and Grouchy grabbed Clumsy's legs, leaving them hanging precariously off the edge and five stories in the air.

"Are you smurfing kidding me?!" Grouchy shouted, shaking Clumsy a little. "You nearly killed….." He remembered his positive attitude. "I mean….look at this view!"

Papa felt like his arm would be ripped right out of its socket, but he kept a firm grip on the balcony and on Vanity's foot. His mind raced with ideas on what they could do at that moment. _Well this can't get any worse. _Papa mentally groaned. _Where's Master Winslow when you need him?_

* * *

Archer leaned back and let the warm sunshine caress her face. "Oh I need to do more flying more often. I forgot how smurfy it is!"

"Thanks for showing me and Hackus how fun Smurfs can be." Vexy said, a sincere smile on her face. "Is it always this cool to be a Smurf?"

"Well, there's a time for work and a time for play." Archer admitted. "But, yeah, I would say it's always this smurftastic."

Vexy laughed. "I don't know if I'd ever be able to use Smurf Language."

"Why not?" Archer asked. "Smurfette learned it." Vexy looked down, and Archer's smile softened into a small, worried frown. "Vexy, do you and Hackus really want to become Smurfs?"

"It's been a dream of ours for a while." Vexy admitted. "And Father's going to do it. He'll find a way to turn us into Smurfs."

"Yeah, and then he'll extract your essence until your white as snow." Archer said.

"No, he wouldn't do that." Vexy said determinedly.

"Just because Gargamel's your father doesn't mean he's nice." Archer snapped a little. Vexy didn't answer. Archer sighed. "So, why_ do_ you and Hackus want to be Smurfs?"

"Well, Hackus is fascinated by the idea of being blue." Vexy shrugged with a small smile. "But I….I want to….."

Archer put a comforting hand on Vexy's shoulder. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay." Vexy assured. "I just want to be able to go to sleep every day without worrying about whether or not we've been fed. I want Smurfette and me to actually _look _like we're related. And I…." She swallowed. "I was created to be like a Smurf, but I don't want to be _like _a Smurf I want to be a _real_ Smurf."

Archer stared at Vexy for a moment, realizing the sincerity in the Naughty's words. This wasn't something she wanted for power or anything; she just wanted to fit it. Archer looked down at her outfit, the one that looked so much like Vexy's they could've been twins. She felt her hair, cut much shorter than she was used to. If it weren't for the skin and hair colors, perhaps she and Vexy _could _look alike. Archer didn't know if she could do much with her hair color; not unless she wanted to borrow some of Painter's paint. But as for the skin color….. "Vexy, if we get the chance, I can change you into a Smurf."

Vexy almost fell off the stork, allowing Hackus and Smurfette to pull ahead of her. "Really?"

"I know some magic." Archer said with a small smile. "I can smurf potions. And I happened to, ahem, _snoop _through some of Papa's spell books and I smurfed the formula that could make you True Blue."

"So you can change me and Hackus?" Vexy asked happily.

"On one condition." Archer said, seriousness coming to her voice. "You'd have to abandon Gargamel and come live with the Smurfs, never to return to him again."

Vexy thought about it. Could she really abandon the only father she had in her life? Maybe Gargamel isn't the greatest father in the world, but Vexy only had him and Hackus for family. Then again, she wanted to be blue her entire life. Okay, so technically she only lived for a few years. But this dream….this one thing she wanted more than anything in the entire world…

"I'll think about it." Vexy finally said.

* * *

"Oh, I am _covered _in filth!" Vanity complained, picking up his mirror. He gasped and shrieked, "_I look like something the cat dragged in!_"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Clumsy and Grouchy screamed. Clumsy dived into a water pitcher while Papa and Grouchy ducked inside the platter lid.

"Oh, come on, it's not _that_ bad." Vanity blinked in surprise. He looked in his mirror again. "Although, if I—oh the cat!" He jumped at the sight of Azrael on the cart, snarling and licking his lips in anticipation for Smurf flesh. Vanity gulped. "Not the face! Not the face!"

"Close the lid!" Papa urged. Vanity dove into the lid with his brother and father and they slammed down the lid, hiding in the safety of the silver. They waited for Azrael to jump down on top of them, but instead heard his surprised yowl and the whoops and laughs of four people swooping in on storks.

Papa's eyes brightened for the first time since the trip started. "That's Smurfette!"

"And Archer!" Vanity cheered softly. "We found them!"

"I knew we could do it!" Grouchy laughed. Papa and Vanity each raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so I was back and forth."

"Come on!" Vanity urged in excitement. "Let's go get them!" The three of them pushed the lid up and off of them, but to their surprise found the door closed.

"Oh no!" Grouchy groaned. "Now what?"

"We find a way in." Papa said in determination.

"Help!" Clumsy called from the water pitcher.

"_After _we free Clumsy." Papa finished.

Inside the suite, Vexy cheered, "Hi fours!" and they jumped up to meet their hands in the middle. Filled with excitement and happiness, the four of them jumped and laughed. Hackus spread his arms like a stork and took off running, chanting his name. Smurfette spun around and Archer pulled her into a hug. For the first time since Gargamel smurfnapped them, the two Smurfettes felt happy and at ease.

Even Vexy smiled. Not her usual snarky smirk, but a kind, loving smile. "It's so nice having another girl around." She laughed, raising an eyebrow at Hackus.

"Yay!" Smurfette laughed. Still filled with joy, she suddenly wrapped her arms around Vexy in a tight hug.

Vexy's smile dropped. She shoved Smurfette away. "Ah! What are you doing?"

Smurfette and Archer blinked. Vexy looked….startled, by such a simple action. "Hey, relax, Vexy." Archer soothed.

"Yeah, I'm just hugging you." Smurfette added. She blinked. "Haven't you…ever been hugged?"

Vexy looked down for a moment, suddenly going quiet. Tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to scream and shout and let out her frustration. No, she had _never _been hugged in her _entire _life. Why should she, when raised by Gargamel? Why should she care that such a small form of love had never been shown to her? She didn't care.

So why did she feel her heart breaking?

Smurfette smiled softly. "Vexy." She wrapped her arms around Vexy, this time in a gentle, loving hug. Vexy paused for a moment, but returned the embrace with a soft smile. Archer was stunned. Even when she knew Gargamel was evil, she never thought he'd be so unloving. Vexy, though created to be roughly the same age as Smurfette and every other Smurf in the village, was still only a child. And children needed love and kindness and…and…everything Gargamel could never give because he could never understand.

_I never knew how terrible it must be...to have Gargamel for a father. _Archer sighed softly.

Archer looked on fondly as Hackus lifted a girl in each arm and spun them around, holding them close and chanting, "Hackus hug! Hackus hug!" She slowly stepped back, feeling as though she intruded on this family moment between Smurfette and her family. But she wasn't willing to leave Smurfette alone just yet.

"Smurfette, come on." Vexy said, pulling Smurfette towards a small mirror on the ground, next to Azrael's food and water bowls. "I gotta show you something." Smurfette eagerly followed, with Hackus and Archer trailing behind her. Vexy pulled Smurfette onto the platform the mirror rested on and pointed to their reflections. "Look at us. Come on; tell me we're not family." Smurfette stared at their reflections, smiling at how twin-like she and Vexy seemed and unaware that Papa Smurf and three of her brothers pounded on the glass doors behind her. But she did notice a third figure in the mirror, and she turned around to see Archer standing some ways away from them, her head down and slowly moving farther away from them.

Smurfette jumped down and moved towards Archer. "Archer?" Archer looked up to see Smurfette staring at her worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Archer nodded. "I just….uh…..I think I should go."

"Go?" Vexy repeated. "Go where?"

"Archer leave?" Hackus asked sadly.

"I guess I'll find the Winslows or something." Archer shrugged. "Maybe I can create a portal home. But…."

"You're not staying?" Vexy asked.

"I don't smurf a reason why." Archer sighed. "Look, I loved smurfing out with you guys. It was fun flying on storks and shopping for a new outfit. But I have a family back in Smurf Village. Besides, I'm not like you; I wasn't created by Gargamel, I was delivered by a stork." She looked to her blue sister. "Smurfette, you obviously love these guys. I hate the idea of smurfing you alone with Gargamel, but I trust these guys to keep you safe. So you can stay with them. But I don't belong here. It's like you said; I'm not your sister."

"When did I—" Smurfette remembered when Vexy asked about the flying….and she said she didn't have any sisters. _Oops. _Smurfette took Archer's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Archer, I didn't mean that. It's just, for the longest time, I was the only girl in the entire village. Before you, Smartette, and Sassette came around, I only ever had a bunch of brothers to live with. When you guys smurfed into the picture, I was so happy because I found Smurfs I could connect with a little better. But like I said, I was the only Smurfette in the village for a long time; I'm still getting used to the idea of having sisters. You and Smartette smurf so much time with Gutsy and Brainy and Sassette's not going to be around for a while. But that doesn't change who you are to me; you can never doubt that's true, whether I'm with the Smurfs or with Vexy and Hackus. It means wherever I belong, you belong." She hugged Archer tightly. "You're my sister. I love you."

Archer smiled and hugged Smurfette back, remembering how she said those exact same words just yesterday. "I love you too, Smurfette."

"We love you too, Archer." Vexy said as she and Hackus approached the girls. "You may be born a Smurf, but you got the makings of a great Naughty." She hugged Archer and Smurfette. "It'd be nice to have two sisters instead of one." She gently pulled Smurfette and Archer back to the mirror. She pointed to their reflections. "Look. Now don't we look like a real family?" She paused. "Oh, wait!" She ran off to a box nearby and returned a few minutes later fingering something rolled up in her hands. Vexy approached Archer with a slight air of…discomfort, a feeling Archer didn't think Vexy could give off. "Uh…..I was just thinking about that….cool hat of yours…" Vexy coughed a little. "And it _was _pretty…..uh…. smurfy. So…..well….I don't think a Smurf is a Smurf or a Naughty is a Naughty without the proper hat…so…here." She held up a Smurf hat, blue-gray and made of wool, just like the one that rested on her head.

Archer blinked in surprise, but smiled. "Vexy, where did you—"

"It's one of my old hats." Vexy shrugged. "I have no use for it, so here." She held it out, but Archer only smirked. "What?"

"You know, giving this to me would entail that you're being _nice _to me." Archer noted with a smirk.

Vexy huffed, blowing her bangs from her face. "Oh shut up and take it." She pulled the hat onto Archer's head, covering her eyes.

Archer laughed and pushed the hat to its proper place. "Thanks, Vexy." She hugged the Naughty. "You're a really great sister."

Vexy smiled sincerely. "You ain't so bad yourself." She gestured to Archer's reflection. "We're sisters after all, right?" She looked down. "I'm sorry Papa Smurf didn't come for you and Smurfette. But maybe your place is here, with us."

Smurfette smiled softly. "Yeah, maybe it is."

Archer had to admit, she and Smurfette _did _look like they belonged in this little family of misfits. Even if Archer didn't particularly like Gargamel, Hackus and Vexy were a couple of great siblings. Although she was crushed that Papa never came for her and Smurfette, somehow the pain didn't affect her like she thought it would. Archer stared at her reflection, noting the differences and similarities between herself and Vexy beside her. She touched her reflection, mesmerized. She looked at Vexy and gently took the Naughty's hand in hers, holding their hands up so they aligned perfectly. Archer stared at their hands for a moment.

"Archer?" Smurfette asked worriedly.

Archer laughed, smiling at Vexy. "You know what? I'm glad you threw me into that portal."

"Hackus hug!" Hackus tackled the three girls in a tight group hug. "Hackus love Archer!"

The four of them laughed. "Okay, okay!" Archer took a deep breath to replenish her lungs of air. "Now, let's smurf something straight. I still hate Gargamel with every fiber of my smurf. But, because you guys like him, I've decided I'm not going to shoot him with my arrows. If he makes _one _wrong move, I'll shoot him so many times he'll look like a porcupine. Smurf the picture?"

"Got it." Smurfette nodded.

"Sure thing." Vexy agreed.

"Hackus love Archer!" Hackus cheered.

Archer smiled and chuckled. "I love you too, Hackus." She kissed his cheek, making him freeze up and then pass out from pure bliss.

Vanity stared in shock and a little horror. "What is Archer doing? She's not becoming one of them too, is she?"

"That's not possible!" Clumsy said. "Archer knows better, right?"

"Then why are she and Smurfette being nice to them?" Vanity demanded.

"They're just identifying with their captors." Grouchy shrugged as they watched their sisters jump and laugh with Gargamel's creations. "It's classic Smurfholm Syndrome."

"No!" Clumsy insisted. "Smurfette thinks we don't care anymore and they do."

"What about Archer?" Grouchy demanded.

"She's staying to protect Smurfette." Clumsy tried to stay strong with his theory, but his voice softened with doubt. "She wouldn't join them because she knows we love her….right?"

"Th-they're confused!" Papa said. "Clumsy, Grouchy, get up there and help me get this door open! Those are my daughters in there!" Grouchy and Clumsy obeyed quickly, hurrying up to the door handles.

"I'll get on top!" Grouchy offered.

"Okay!" Clumsy nodded, grabbing the door handle and hanging on it, trying to pull it down. Grouchy jumped at the same time, but the doors wouldn't move. "We can do this!" Clumsy looked inside and his eyes widened. "Gargamel!"

Grouchy's eyes widened too. "Clumsy, don't let—" Too late. Clumsy released the door handle, and Grouchy went flying into a flowerpot.

"Daddy's home!" Gargamel said in an uncharacteristically cheerful voice. "And, consistent with his kind nature, he brought you a present!"

Archer raised an eyebrow as she, Smurfette, Vexy, and Hackus gathered on an ottoman. "Anyone else find this weird?"

Gargamel ignored her as he knelt down in front of them. "I believe we got off on the wrong foot." He told Smurfette. "Would you allow me in wishing you a very, very happy birthday?" He sighed. "It seems like only yesterday you were just my little glob of clay and other putrid ingredients."

"You… you remembered my birthday?" Smurfette breathed with a smile on her face.

Gargamel looked almost insulted that Smurfette would ask such a question. "Of course I did! We're family. And family never forgets something like that."

"One would think that Smurfette's birthday would remind you of your failure in using her to capture the Smurfs." Archer noted.

Gargamel sighed. "Well, perhaps I have changed my ways."

"Perhaps I don't trust you."

"Perhaps I should feed you to Azrael you little—"

"Father, please!" Vexy stepped in quickly. "Archer's one of us now. She's family." She turned to Archer. "And Gargamel is our father whether you like him or not." She looked back and forth between her father and her new sister. "Can't you two get along? At least for now?"

Gargamel suddenly got an idea. "Wait, your little blue step-papa never did arrive, did he?" He sighed. "I'm truly sorry, my dear Smurfette. That must really sting." He looked to Archer, seriously struggling to keep the sweetness in his tone. "And I realize that Papa Smurf was your actual papa, but I must ask, how much do you think he _really _cared if he never even showed up? After all, if he didn't show up for Smurfette, he should've showed up for you, right?"

Archer glared at the ground, snorting in derision. But a small part of her couldn't help but sense the truth in Gargamel's words. "I guess so." She mumbled.

"Archer, no!" Clumsy whimpered.

"Why that no good little—" A stern look from Papa prevented Grouchy from saying anything inappropriate for the situation. But even Papa looked furious, maybe even ready to break the glass and possibly the whole door down if he had the strength. He didn't care if Gargamel was in there; he just wanted to be by his daughters' sides again.

"I remember when my father threw me down the well….for the first time." Gargamel continued. Archer blinked in surprise, actually feeling sorry for the poor wizard. "Oh, the disappointed look on his face when I finally managed to claw my way out." He sighed, but put on a smile. "Anyway, happy birthday, my dear." He placed a nicely decorated box wrapped in a ribbon in front of Smurfette.

"Happy Birthday, Smurfette!" Hackus, Vexy, and Archer cheered.

"I wanna open!" Hackus insisted, pulling on the ribbon. "Let me open!" He hurriedly opened the box, but reeled back a little when he saw the Gargamel doll. "Whoa…ugly."

"No comment." Archer admitted.

Hackus still laughed and pulled the doll out, falling off the ottoman as he did. He lifted the doll and mimicked Gargamel. "Bow! Kneel! Worship me!" Vexy, Smurfette, and Archer laughed, pointing at Gargamel. Archer covered her mouth to futilely try and suppress her laughter, but her eyes widened a little when she noticed the toy dragon wand still in the box. _Wait a minute…..Smurfette wouldn't take that, would she? She always said she saw a dragon wand in her nightmares._

"Yes, yes my dear." Gargamel nodded to Smurfette, gesturing to the wand. "Go ahead, take it. It's a tiny little magical wand of your very own."

Smurfette glanced towards Vexy, unsure of what to do. But Vexy smiled and said, "Go ahead. It's your birthday present."

Smurfette stared at the wand, intrigued but also scared. She remembered her nightmares; the ones where she held a dragon wand and the Smurfs she loved got hurt every time. She didn't want to take it. She didn't want her nightmares to come true. But at the same time, the wand seemed to call to her; and now that she thought about it, she really _did _want it. Gargamel giving her the wand meant he accepted her. She possessed magic in her blood. The thought of all that power certainly riled Smurfette's interest.

"No….." Papa murmured in despair. "Don't do it….." But to his horror, Smurfette lifted the wand from the box and waved it around, a smile on her face.

"Do you like it?" Gargamel asked. "Oh, silly me! I have forgotten to turn it on." He pulled out the vial of Smurf essence from around his neck and carefully allowed two drops of the magical essence to fall into the wand, causing the eyes of the tiny dragon to glow red like its original predecessor. Archer stared a little, concerned and unsure of what to make of this.

"Dragon wand." Clumsy breathed fearfully. Papa, Grouchy, and Vanity only stared, a little afraid of what would happen next.

"Oh dear." Vanity whispered.

"Please, go ahead. Try it out. Don't be afraid." Gargamel encouraged. "After all, it is your birthright."

Smurfette stepped forward. "How do you know I won't use it on you?"

Gargamel paused, thinking quickly as to how he would respond to that threat. "Because, Smurfette….…I…..I am your father. Search your feelings; you know it to be true."

_As if. _Archer scoffed softly. But she noticed the look in Smurfette's eyes, and she suddenly became nervous. "Smurfette, don't. He's not worth the fire power." But Smurfette still looked unsure; in fact, she looked like she was getting more and more eager to use the wand.

"Smurfette…" Vexy asked worriedly.

Smurfette pointed her wand at Gargamel again, a wicked smirk on her face. "Sing the La La Song."

Gargamel looked hesitant….._very _hesitant. "Uh….." Smurfette suddenly zapped a few blasts at Gargamel's feet, making him jump and Papa stare. The old Smurf's heart filled with dread. _No…_

"Sing it!" Smurfette ordered, her voice rising and her tone sharp. Archer jumped a little, cringing at Smurfette's tone. _Smurfette's never used _that _tone before. _She thought. _Probably not since….she was a Naughty. _She stepped aside as Gargamel started singing, looking and sounding like he would vomit any second now. Archer jumped down to the floor, staring at Smurfette with concern etched in her features. Smurfette started to zap at random things in the suite with her wand, starting with Azrael (currently stuck under a metal bucket). Smurfette laughed and smiled with glee. Archer looked down at her outfit, then back at Vexy and Smurfette and Hackus. Archer gently pulled off her blue-gray, wool Smurf hat, rubbing the cloth with her thumb. _What am I doing? What the smurf will Papa say when he sees me like this? I'm supposed to be protecting Smurfette from things like this….right?_

A soft banging and quiet voices reached Archer's ears. She turned to the balcony doors and her eyes narrowed in confusion. "What the smurf?" She pulled the hat back on and squinted from the sunlight. When her eyes adjusted, Archer saw three blue and white shapes, all of them struggling to pull down the blue and red shape desperately trying to climb the metal grate on the door.

"SMURFETTE!" Papa shouted, trying to kick Clumsy off his foot.

"Papa, he'll see you!" Clumsy cried.

"Pull him down!" Grouchy ordered.

"Papa no!" Vanity screamed.

Papa ignored them. He had to get to her; he _had _to get to his daughter. He couldn't let this happen. Not after everything he did to protect her. _Smurfette…I won't fail you….I can't fail you….. _He felt tears welling up behind his eyes, blurring his vision; a lump started forming in his throat, choking him and stopping him from shouting anymore. He fought to climb higher, to somehow reach the doorknob and get the door open. But Clumsy had a firm grip on his ankle, his weight just enough to slow his father down. He, Grouchy, and Vanity were just as worried as Papa, but they also knew the dangers if Gargamel spotted them.

They'd be dead in seconds.

Archer smiled and breathed, "Papa!" She giggled softly and jogged over to the doors, finally noticing Vanity, Grouchy, and Clumsy. She waved a little and continued to smile, not realizing Gargamel still in the room and Smurfette still playing with her wand. Papa noticed Archer briefly before something else caught his sight. Archer jumped when a blue lightning bolt shot dangerously close to her head, and she gasped in horror. She stared in shock as the bolt crashed through the window, blasting the four Smurfs backwards and off the balcony.

"PAPA!" Archer screamed.


	8. Chapter 8: Never Give Up on Family

**Chapter Eight – Never Give Up on Family**

Archer sprinted to the balcony, tripping over food and silverware on the way. She got to the edge and looked down, scanning the air and (she gulped) the pavement. But her father and three of her brothers disappeared. Her breathing came out choppy and hard, staring at where her family fell. _Oh my smurf. Oh smurf they're gone. _Archer stepped back, covering her mouth with her hands and shaking her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Archer!" Vexy called. "Come on! We're going out!"

"Party!" Hackus chanted. "Party!"

Vexy laughed as she approached Archer, but her smile melted to worry when she noticed Archer's tears. "Archer? What's wrong?"

Archer put on a brave face, wiping her eyes dry. _Gotta protect Smurfette. She's all I got now. _"Nothing….I just…" She swallowed hard. "I really miss my papa."

Vexy smiled and put an arm around Archer's shoulders. "Come on. You've still got us."

_At least that's _somewhat _of a silver lining. _Archer glared at Gargamel as she walked with Vexy out the doors. _But not for Gargamel. I swear I'm gonna kill him….when Vexy, Smurfette, and Hackus aren't looking. How dare he harm Papa? So he finally decided to make his move…...then it's time to make mine._

"Hey, why don't we stick around here and party?" Archer suggested. "We can have cake, do a little dancing." _And I can find a way to throw Gargamel out the window._

"Father has a surprise for us." Vexy explained.

"But we're going outside?" Archer asked. "Won't we be seen?"

"It'll be fine, come on!" Vexy giggled, gently pulling Archer along.

Archer narrowed her eyes, but the look on Gargamel's face told her not to make another sound. So the brunette just growled silently as they all journeyed from the jogged up to Smurfette and gently held her back to be out of Gargamel's earshot. "Smurfette, Papa was here."

Smurfette stared at Archer. "What?"

"He was here." Archer said. "Out on the balcony. We have to smurf out of here. If he came then maybe Patrick and Grace did too."

Smurfette sighed sadly and put a hand on Archer's shoulder. "Archer, you don't have to keep my hopes up anymore. Papa Smurf was never really my father; if he truly cared for me, he would've come by now."

"He did!" Archer hissed, making sure Gargamel didn't hear. "He was right outside the balcony doors!"

"Then where is he now?" Smurfette demanded.

Archer bit her lower lip. "Um…well, it doesn't matter. We have to go _now_."

Smurfette's eyes narrowed into a glare. "What kind of game are you playing?"

"I'm not playing games!" Archer protested.

"What was that?" Gargamel asked, finally turning to them.

Smurfette glared at Archer one last time. "Nothing. Let's get smurfing." She marched off, walking with Hackus and leaving Archer in the dust. Archer glared, angry and in disbelief. How is it that Smurfette's attitude could change so drastically? Just a few hours ago she was dying to see Papa again. Now she's acting like she hated him, even when hope existed for them to escape. Archer wanted to snap at her sister, to scold her and tell her how silly she acted.

Vexy came up to Archer. "You okay?"

"Fine." Archer sighed as they kept walking.

"Was Papa Smurf really here?" Vexy whispered.

"Yes." Archer nodded. "At least….he _was_." Her voice lowered to a mutter. "Until Gargamel shot him off with that smurfin' wand."

Vexy blinked in surprise. "Archer, what're you—"

"Don't worry about it." Archer interrupted. "Let's just go."

Vexy didn't say anything else, staring at the distraught and angry look on the brunette's face.

* * *

Everyone remained silent on the taxi ride back to the hotel. The deathly silence remained as they traveled up the elevator to the hotel room. When Patrick pushed the door open, Grace and Blue came to greet them.

"Smurfette!" Blue cheered. But his face fell. "Smurfette?"

"Guys?" Grace asked worriedly. "Where are Smurfette and Archer?"

Papa gently pushed his way out of Patrick's arms and onto the floor. "If you'll excuse me." He requested, his voice so soft they almost didn't hear him. But nobody stopped him as he walked from the room and out to the balcony. Patrick set the Smurfs down on the sofa and led Grace to the bedroom to talk. Victor walked off to the bathroom to change out of the sheet that covered him. Outside, Papa climbed onto a small coffee table and leaned heavily on the railing of the balcony, allowing the impact of today's events to hit him like a boulder.

He lost her…..he lost Smurfette to Gargamel. Even after everything he did, everything he went through to protect her, he lost her. What's worse, Archer was still with them. What if she turned too? She didn't look the same; in fact, she looked so much like that female Naughty that it scared Papa. He tried his best to reassure himself; to gather some shred of hope. After all, he lost Smurfette to Gargamel because she was his creation. But Archer would only stay if she knew she still had to protect Smurfette.

Or….what if she stays because she wants to be with the Naughties?

Distraught and overwhelmed, Papa finally broke down. He fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands, sobbing silently. _Oh my daughters. My precious, precious children. _He sighed. _Where did I go wrong? _He sniffed and pulled his hat off his head, wiping his eyes dry. As he did, a small breeze pushed something off his head, and his eyes widened when he saw Archer's arrowhead-covered hat. Papa quickly put his own hat back on and grabbed the hat before it could fly away. He held the cloth hat close, rubbing it fondly. He pressed the material to his cheek, letting his tears fall into the fabric.

_I have failed them._

* * *

"We were _this close _to getting Smurfette back and he distracted me at the worst possible moment, Grace!" Patrick growled. "I would've been in the elevator if it wasn't for him!"

"Okay, okay, use your indoor voice." Grace pleaded quietly. "And please, Patrick, just breathe."

"I want him gone!" Patrick demanded.

"He's your dad!" Grace protested.

"No, that is one thing he is _not!_" Patrick said firmly. Grace looked ready to protest or even lecture her husband, but a new voice interrupted her.

"He's right, Grace." Victor said from the bedroom doorway. "I'm not his father. His real father left to start a new family. And he's been chewed up about it ever since."

"Excuse me?" Patrick asked, sounding a little appalled and insulted at Victor's words.

"As well you might." Victor continued. "But I can't take the brunt of it anymore." He turned to leave, but Patrick's voice made him pause and turn.

"Hey, I never asked for you to come barging into my life, okay?" Patrick said. "I didn't ask you to marry my mother. Or take away Zeus!"

"Zeus?" Victor asked. "The pigeon?"

Patrick inwardly sighed. "The _parrot. My parrot. _Taken away because _you _were allergic."

Victor didn't answer at first. He was quiet for a long time. Finally, he said, "I was not allergic to that bird, Patrick."

"Yes, you were." Patrick insisted.

Victor shook his head, his heart heavy. "No I wasn't; you were."

Patrick stared at his stepfather for a moment. "What?"

"It got so bad every day. You were wheezing, coughing." Victor explained. "Your mother and I both knew it would break your heart to think the bird had to go away because of you. You had already blamed yourself for your dad. So I took the heat."

Patrick didn't believe it; he didn't really _want _to believe it. "That's a lie." He insisted. "I'm not allergic to birds."

"Okay, hang on." Victor said and reached into his pocket, pulling out one of his duck feathers. "Sniff my feathers."

Patrick rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna—"

"Come on, sniff them." Victor insisted.

Patrick sighed but, to prove his point, took a few sniffs of the feathers. Two seconds later, a tickle in his nose led to a sneeze. He stared, dumbfounded, as reality hit him hard like a horseshoe to the nose. Grace looked down, unsure of what to say or do.

"Truth itches, doesn't it?" Victor asked bitterly. Patrick only stared, appalled. No words formed in his mouth; even if they did, he couldn't speak them. Victor looked back and noticed Blue watching them from the couch, and he closed one of the doors to talk to Patrick without the young boy looking or hearing. "Listen to me, Patrick. I loved your mother with all my heart. I took care of Jeanette and I made her happy. I also chose to love you as my own. Now, I didn't have to do that. But you were this little kid, no father, no hope in his eyes, a big hole in his heart. So I gave you everything I could. But I'm done; you don't want it, that's fine. My last word of advice to you is this: would you grow up? Stop blaming everyone else for your pain. And whatever you do don't teach that beautiful son of yours that love is conditional because _it is not._ Goodbye, Grace." He left it at that, walked out the door, grabbed his bag, and walked off. Patrick stared after him, rooted in the spot. He didn't know what to say. Should he call him back? What for? Even if he wanted to, his throat was clogged up. Victor paused and kissed Blue on the head, patting the small boy's shoulder. "Bye-bye, Blue."

The Smurfs watched Victor go, Clumsy waving silently. None of them could think of something to say. Blue turned and watched his grandfather walk to the door. "Grandpa Vicstor?" But Victor only turned and waved with a small smile. Blue waved back sadly. "Bye….."

Victor looked up at Patrick last. "Goodbye Patrick Winslow." Patrick stared, still unable to respond. He could only watch as Victor walked out the door and shut it softly behind him.

* * *

Archer, Hackus, Vexy, and Smurfette stared in wonder at the large Ferris wheel they approached, their eyes glittering almost as brightly as the wheel itself. Archer was still upset over her argument with Smurfette, but she managed to put on a smile for Vexy and Hackus's sake.

"Look at that!" Hackus laughed. "Big wheel!"

"Come. Come along, my dear." Gargamel encouraged.

"So _this _is why they call it the City of Light." Vexy said in awe. Smurfette and Archer looked around nervously, off-put by how exposed they were to so many people. But Hackus pulled Archer along, so she couldn't stay too worried.

Smurfette, however, hurried to Vexy's side. "Um….there's a lot of people."

"Yes, well, I prefer to call them 'worshippers'." Gargamel laughed. He raised his wand and called, "Alakakneel!" In a few flashes of blue light, the people waiting in line suddenly jumped back to either side of the red carpet leading to the wheel and knelt to the ground, putting their foreheads to the floor.

"Bow!" Hackus laughed. "Kneel!" Archer glared at Gargamel, but said nothing.

"Shall we?" Gargamel motioned to the carpet.

"Let's go!" Hackus cheered.

Smurfette looked uncertainly towards Vexy, but the girl Naughty only smiled. "Don't worry. Everyone likes it; he's a celebrity. Come on!"

Archer and Smurfette exchanged looks. "Either he has more control over them than we thought, or the French humans aren't very smart."

"Well, come on." Smurfette urged. "Let's just go along with it." Archer looked worried, but Smurfette took her hand and gently coaxed her along.

"Yes, hello, it's me." Gargamel announced to the people still kneeling on the ground. "These are my children."

_I wonder if he forgot about me. _Archer thought. _Or…..does he accept me? _She thought for a moment. _Nah. Not even if his life depended on it._

Hackus laughed and cartwheeled, acting like a total clown. Vexy only laughed and waved. "Hi! That's my brother!"

Archer and Smurfette looked around worriedly as the humans gazed at them in wonder. But they put on smiles and waved small.

"Hi….." Smurfette said sweetly. She giggled a little as some people waved back. "It's my birthday…"

"Um…bonjour." Archer said with a nervous chuckle.

"This is my sister." Smurfette introduced quickly as they caught up to the Naughties. Archer felt a smile creep onto her lips. Even after an argument, Smurfette still loved her Smurf sister. And Archer knew she still loved Smurfette no matter what arguments they got into. Archer hugged Smurfette, smiling broadly. Smurfette giggled and returned the hug.

Gargamel pointed to his wand when he reached the ticket booth. "I have a fast pass."

Hackus laughed. "Fast Pass!"

"Oh, Monsieur Gargamel!" a man cried as he and his wife stepped from the cart.

"Thank you for keeping our seats warm." Gargamel nodded. "Goodbye." With a wave of his wand, the two humans were knocked aside. Smurfette gasped, shocked.

"Was that necessary?" Archer demanded, hands on her hips.

"Of course it was." Gargamel said as though it obvious. "Come along, children, right this way."

Smurfette wanted to protest, but then she saw the couple rise and clap for Gargamel, looking unhurt. She smiled softly, finally getting excited. She followed Hackus and Archer onto the Ferris wheel cart.

Vexy held her stomach, that familiar feeling coming back. "Father….."

"Not now….." Gargamel said.

"It's feeding time, soon." Vexy said.

Gargamel knelt down close to Vexy. "Not now!"

"But…." Vexy watched as her father turned and marched back inside the cart. She sighed.

Archer looked back and forth between Gargamel and Vexy. "What's 'feeding time'?" She asked Vexy.

"Nothing." Vexy sighed as she climbed into the cart.

Archer jogged to keep up with her. "I might have some dried smurfberries in my quiver if you're hungry."

"No thanks." Vexy said softly.

"Ah, here we are!" Gargamel said, waiting for the Naughties and Smurfettes to climb onto the railing. "Our fun is just beginning, eh?" He knocked on the glass of the cart and waved his wand. "Alakazellivate!" The glass disappeared to open air, and the wheel began to move. At first, Archer became nervous about being so high and not riding a stork. But when she saw the view, she instantly melted. The City of Light was a marvelous sight during the night hours. She could even see the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

Archer sighed, leaning on the railing of the Ferris wheel cart. "Oh, if Gutsy and Luna were here."

"Gutsy and Luna?" Vexy asked.

Archer nodded. "My mate and baby."

Vexy's eyes widened. "You're married?"

"And I have a baby." Archer added. "Back home in Smurf Village."

"Wow." Vexy breathed. "I never knew Smurfs and Smurfettes could marry."

"Why not?" Archer shrugged. "We start out as brothers and sisters, but there's always the chance of a Smurf and Smurfette smurfing in love. Like me and Gutsy. Or like Brainy Smurf and Smartette Smurfette."

Vexy sighed. "Wonder what that's like. Falling in love."

Archer smiled. "It could happen." She nudged Vexy playfully, but the Naughty nearly tumbled off the railing. Archer caught her quickly. "Hey, are you okay? You look pale…..r…"

"I'm fine." Vexy assured. Archer still looked concerned, but didn't press the matter. She turned to listen to Gargamel talk to Smurfette.

"Oh, but isn't this lovely, my dear?" Gargamel sighed. "And just think: with your secret formula and my incredible magic, there's absolutely nothing that we cannot do." He gave Vexy a look, motioning a little to Smurfette.

"Yeah." Vexy said a little hesitantly. "Think of all the fun we could have, Smurfette." Gargamel smiled, satisfied. He sighed, staring out at the scenery as though to distract himself from being sick.

"Okay…" Smurfette looked nervous, but then she winked at Vexy. "Then why are we going so slow?!" She shot a blue bolt from her wand at the Ferris wheel's center, causing it to spin faster. Vexy, Smurfette, and Hackus whooped and laughed. Archer followed their example, despite her fierce grip on the railing. Then, she noticed something.

"Um, Smurfette?" Archer called. "I hate to sound like Brainy, but by my calculations the wheel's going to—" The wheel suddenly broke off of its stand and started rolling down the streets of Paris. But it only made the Naughties and Smurfettes laugh harder and cheer, excited by the ride. The power of the wand made the wheel turn at Smurfette's command, giving them a wonderful tour of the city.

"Isn't this fun?" Smurfette called happily. They all looked to Gargamel, who screamed in terror.

"Decidedly not!" he shrieked. He continued to shout in terror, but his children and Archer only whooped and laughed and cheered.

"Best ride ever!" Hackus cheered as he stood on Gargamel's shoulder, clinging to the wizard's hair. "Smurfette's fun, huh?" Gargamel only gave the Naughty a thumbs up, too terrified to speak.

"Look out!" Archer shouted, pointing to a Chinese man and his daughters crossing the street….right in the wheel's path!

"Incoming!" Vexy called.

"Look out!" Hackus crooned. "Coming through!" Luckily, the three Chinese tourists crouched down and they ended up in the space between two carts. They watched, amazed, as the wheel continued down the road.

"This is so smurftastic!" Archer cheered. _Oh, Gutsy would've _loved_ this!_

"Yeah!" Smurfette laughed. "Let's take another loop around the block!"

"How about a grand tour of Paris?" Vexy suggested. "I'll show you guys everything this town has to offer!"

"Let's go!" Hackus agreed.

"Yeah!" Smurfette smiled.

"I'm in!" Archer nodded, smiling broadly. Her worries disappeared. All she cared about was that she had fun with her new siblings.

None of them could see Papa Smurf at his spot on the hotel balcony. He wasn't even facing the right way; the Ferris wheel rolled right past and out of sight seconds before Papa could turn enough to see it. His thoughts still swirled around Smurfette and Archer, and he worried for them. He didn't want to go home without his daughters by his side, but all hope seemed lost to bring them back. He only stared out at the city before him, not truly sure how he would fix this. Earlier that evening, Clumsy bravely ventured up to Papa and asked what they would do now. The disconsolate Papa Smurf didn't have an answer at the time. So everyone left Papa to his thoughts.

_Nothing can be done. _Papa thought hopelessly. _I've lost my beautiful little girls forever. _"I must've failed them…." He murmured. Papa turned at a sigh and noticed Patrick behind him.

"Oh, sorry." Patrick said sincerely. "I was ….looking for a place to think." He turned to leave, but Papa stopped him.

"No, no, no." Papa insisted. "No, i-it's okay. I was doing a little thinking myself." Patrick nodded and stood beside Papa, the two fathers gazing out at the city before them. Neither of them spoke for a moment, each wrapped up with their inner turmoil. Papa spoke first. "Master Winslow…it's hard for me, but…all….." He struggled a little to keep his voice steady. "Can I ask you some advice? I mean, papa to papa." Patrick nodded wordlessly and pulled up a chair, listening to the elder Smurf talk. "It's about Smurfette. I don't know what to do. I turned her blue, I taught her love, and kindness. But the truth is Gargamel made her. She's only a Smurf as long as she chooses to be." Dread consumed him, filling his heart with sorrow as his worst fears surfaced. "But…..what if she doesn't? What if she chooses him?" Patrick knew at once Papa meant Gargamel. "We could lose her. We may have already." He sighed angrily. "I haven't done enough." Papa said firmly. "And as for Archer….." He rubbed his face, groaning. "I thought I did the right thing; I thought I did enough for her. I gave her a home, even when she didn't want it." He and Patrick chuckled softly, but Papa's smile disappeared in an instant. "Archer has a temper on her; she has a fierce devotion to her family. I want to protect her because she smurfs into trouble all the time. I….." Papa struggled to hold back his tears. "I can't lose her too. But, even I have to admit…I don't know how much longer I can hold onto her. She was born a Smurf but bred in the forest. I've seen her stare at the trees from her mushroom. And I wonder….." Papa felt the lump in his throat again. "Master Winslow….I can't do anything to help them. Smurfette is Gargamel's creation; Archer belonged in the forest before she belonged to me. Nothing I could've done will change that." He looked down, afraid he would start crying again, and this time in front of Patrick.

"Are you kidding?" Patrick scoffed. "Gargamel just _made _Smurfette. You…..you made her what she is. You stepped in and loved her as your very own. No one asked you to; you just did." Papa still looked unsure, and Patrick continued. "Because you knew she needed that. And that's…..that's a pretty special kind of love. She's way too smart to not see that."

Papa nodded in understanding. He thought back to when Smurfette first came to Smurf Village: clay colored skin, pitch black hair, spotless white dress. Beautiful, but practically radiated with evil. And then she caused all that trouble. Many of the Smurfs hated her; but not Papa. He could see some shred of kindness in those cold eyes. He saw that tiny spark of good and fanned it into a flame. Slowly, steadily, the Smurfs grew to love Smurfette, and she in turn grew to love them. Papa's eyes widened a little in realization. "You're right. We didn't believe in her because she changed; she changed because we believed in her."

Patrick nodded. "And as for Archer, sure, she has a place in the forest. It's probably been her home for a long time. But I'm sure it got pretty lonely out there. Even when living in a tree, she watched out for you and the other Smurfs, right? And when you took her to the village, she fit right in and never went back. If you ask me, I bet she would choose you over the forest any day. She wants to keep her family safe and together. That's why she stuck with Smurfette for so long during our little adventure; she cares about her family."

"You really think so?" Papa asked.

Patrick nodded. "You ask her yourself; she'd choose to be with her papa over being alone in a tree house."

Papa smiled. "Thank you, Master Winslow. That was _exactly_ what I needed to hear." He hurried to the edge of the table and jumped down, a new hope inside him.

Patrick turned and looked out at the night sky, noticing an airplane taking off in the distance. He thought back to Victor, and how the words he spoke to his stepson were exactly the same as the ones Patrick spoke to Papa.

"Me too….." Patrick sighed.

"Let's go, Smurfs." Papa said as he approached his sons in the tub/sink.

"Where?" Grouchy asked.

"We're getting Smurfette and Archer." Papa said firmly.

"But you saw it, Papa." Clumsy said, sadly staring at the floor. "Smurfette and Archer are one of them now."

"Oh, horse whisperers?" Vanity asked as he came up from the bubbles.

"No." Grouchy snapped.

"French socialists?"

"No!"

"Ah, flying wallendas!"

"NO!" Grouchy snapped again. "They're with Gargamel! Keep up!"

"I don't care what we saw!" Papa said. "You _never _give up on family."

"Yeah, Papa's right." Grouchy decided.

"Whoa." Clumsy laughed. "Who are you and what have you done with Grouchy?"

"Hey, I'm Positive, remember?" Grouchy reminded him.

"All right, Smurfs, let's get smurfing." Papa urged. He turned as Patrick came inside from the balcony. "Master Winslow, you coming with us?"

"Is a Smurf's butt blue?" Patrick asked, much to Papa's amusement.

"Uh….." Grouchy pulled himself out of the tub and turned his tail to Patrick, pulling his pants down enough to see some of his butt. "You tell me." He laughed, wiggling his tail.

Clumsy laughed, but Vanity groaned. "Oh, Grouchy. Put it away."

Papa rolled his eyes, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Okay then, out of the tub with ya. We've got work to do." He jumped down to the floor, determination in his eyes. _I will get my daughters back. Tonight._

And as the rescue party marched towards the Paris Opera House that night, the determination never left their eyes.


End file.
